LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla kicked off their trip to New York City on Wednesday with a visit to the National 9/11 Memorial, where they honored victims of the 2001 attacks and spoke with relatives of those who died.
It’s the first trip to the Big Apple by a reigning British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2010.
The king and queen arrived by motorcade and were greeted by various dignitaries at the memorial. They were accompanied by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg while walking to one of the parapets ringing the two pools, bearing the names of the victims of the attacks. Charles laid flowers on the parapet.
The dignity of the moment meant a great deal to Englishman Sebastian Young-Slee and his American wife, Savannah.
They couldn’t see much from their vantage point on West Street, but the memory of this day provides a special gift as they celebrate their first anniversary on Friday.
“I think it’s beautiful. I mean, amongst and amidst everything that is going on in the world, a special relationship that’s been special for many years. I think it shows that there is still that tie, there still is that link,” Sebastian Young-Slee said.
“I think it’s really beautiful. I have never had any interaction with the royals at all, so being able to have them over here in the States is phenomenal, and especially commemorating such a monumental moment in our history,” Savannah Young-Slee added.
The royal couple then shook hands and spoke to a line of people, including families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and first responders. Some relatives held up photos of their lost relatives. Also in the line were New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other dignitaries. The ceremony came ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
A small crowd gathered across the street from the memorial site, with views hampered by tight security and a heavy police presence that restricted access and temporarily shut down traffic.
Nonetheless, for people like Lucy Kuhn, who lives nearby in Battery Park City, this was the place to be.
“We’ve come down and seen the Pope, several popes, and I was just hoping to see him. Maybe you’ll see him on the news tonight. I think I’ll get a view from the living room” she said.
Before leaving, Charles and Camilla did not make any public remarks at the memorial, in keeping with tradition. The memorial plaza has generally been off-limits to speeches by politicians or other public figures, with the annual commemoration ceremonies there featuring remarks only from the families and friends of the victims.
The stop was part of a busy swing through the city midway through the royal couple’s four-day trip to the U.S. to mark 250 years of American independence.
Among the crowd at the memorial were New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
