- President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump showered King Charles III and Queen Camilla with compliments.
- NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave the royals a lukewarm reception, threatening to demand the Kohinoor diamond’s return.
- The 105-carat Kohinoor diamond, part of the British Crown Jewels, was taken from India.
President Trump and First Lady Melania showered the British royal couple with compliments Thursday after they got a lukewarm reception from Mayor Mamdani in New York City.
“So good to see you again,” Trump warmly told King Charles III outside the White House, according to expert witness lipreader Jeremy Freeman.
“Your majesty, you look beautiful,” the president then told Queen Camilla while greeting the monarchs during a farewell meeting.
Melania welcomed the queen with a smile, saying, “Your majesty” before gesturing towards her gold brooch and proclaiming, “Oh, that’s so wonderful.”
Trump then turned to reporters and declared, “Great king. The greatest king in my book.”
After a brief meeting with the monarchs, Trump gushed, “Great people. We need more people like that in our country.”
The formal farewell meeting came after Mamdani gave the king and queen a relatively frosty reception Wednesday compared to how past Big Apple mayors have welcomed UK monarchs to New York City.
While Mamdani was all smiles as he shook hands with Charles, he had threatened just hours before to demand the king return a massive crown jewel diamond that symbolizes bloody British colonialism.
The political odd couple, however, chatted pleasantly during a brief encounter at the 9/11 Memorial.
“You’re the mayor! Heh heh! Congratulations….” the king told Mamdani, according to Freeman.
Mamdani replied, “Yes…thank you.”
Earlier in the day Wednesday, reporters asked the 34-year-old democratic socialist at an unrelated press conference what he would say to Charles if he could talk to him on his rare US visit.
“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 on display at the Tower of London, was mined in India hundreds of years ago — and has a history of violently changing hands among rulers.