King Charles III met New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani during his recent visit to the United States. At a press conference before Mamdani met Charles, the mayor said he would request the British monarch to return the highly treasured Koh-i-Noor diamond to India. SNL recently hilariously addressed the subject in a new episode of Weekend Update.
SNL’s Michael Che jokes about King Charles and Zohran Mamdani’s meet
On SNL’s Weekend Update, co-host Michael Che joked about King Charles III and Zohran Mamdani’s recent meeting. He jokingly expressed surprise that the monarch didn’t take the latter back to the United Kingdom with him, quipping the mayor is “an indian treasure.”
Previously, the pair attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial to honor the victims of the tragic event. Before it, while addressing a press conference, the mayor said that if he were to speak with the king separately, he would “encourage” him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India. Notably, the 34-year-old politician is of Indian descent; his father, Mahmood, has a Gujarati Muslim background, while his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, is a Punjabi Hindu.
Mamdani and Charles reportedly interacted later. However, it’s unclear if the pair discussed Koh-i-Noor, as neither the NYC Mayor’s office nor Buckingham Palace addressed it. Before this, The New York Times reported that the mayor did not plan on having a “private meeting” with the monarch.
His spokesperson, Joe Calvello, later told the outlet that Mamdani is “generally opposed to the idea of a king.” Despite this, the mayor smiled during his meeting with Charles. Separately, the Indian government has for years pressed the U.K. to return Koh-i-Noor to the country. Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have also reportedly claimed ownership and pushed for the same.
The king’s visit to the United States coincided with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Originally reported by Abdul Azim Naushad on Mandatory.
