Mayor Zohran Mamdani was all smiles as he met King Charles III at the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan on Wednesday during a rare royal visit to New York City.
The British monarch — who hasn’t been to New York in nearly 20 years — shook hands and spoke briefly with the mayor, though it’s unclear what they discussed.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch (far left) greet King Charles III during the royal’s visit to the 9/11 Museum & Memorial on April 29, 2026. King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camila, visit the 9/11 Memorial on April 29, 2026. AFP via Getty Images The king and his wife, Queen Camilla, paid respects by laying a bouquet of white flowers near the memorial’s sprawling pools before pausing for a somber moment of silence. They then also met family members of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
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Earlier in the day, Mamdani, was asked by reporters at an unrelated press conference what he would say to Charles if he could talk to him.
“If I was to speak to the king… I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond,” Mamdani quipped — referring to one of the worlds’ largest cut diamonds, which was taken from India and is now part of the British Crown Jewels.
The infamous 105-carat gem, which is display at the Tower of London, was mined in India hundreds of years ago — and has a bloody history of violently changing hands among rulers
Critics say the Koh-i-Noor is a “symbol of conquest” and a token of colonial violence.
