New York (AFP) – King Charles III declared his “enduring solidarity with the American people” Wednesday, as he visited the 9/11 memorial in New York as part of a state visit focused on healing strained ties between Britain and the United States. The four-day US tour, clouded by tensions over the Iran war, began in Washington with President Donald Trump warmly greeting the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla.
In New York, the royal couple laid a bouquet of white roses and a handwritten note at one of two reflecting pools that mark where the World Trade Center once stood. “We honour the memory of those who so tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001,” the note read, marking 25 years since the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. “We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of their profound loss. Charles R Camilla,” it added.
They arrived in a convoy of black vehicles and were accompanied by businessman and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who chairs the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Charles, wearing a navy suit, and Camilla, in a black dress, shook hands and spoke with victims’ families, first responders, and elected officials. They also briefly met Zohran Mamdani, the leftist New York mayor, who earlier said he would urge Charles to return to India the Koh-i-noor diamond, which the British Empire took in the 1800s.
Charles, who is passionate about gardening and the environment, is also expected to visit an urban sustainable farming project in Harlem. Meanwhile, Camilla will celebrate the 100th birthday of Winnie the Pooh at the New York Public Library by reading an excerpt from a story to local school children. She will be joined by US actress Sarah Jessica Parker and thriller writer Harlan Coben. Later, Charles will mingle with business leaders, including investors and entrepreneurs, at an event highlighting British investment opportunities and transatlantic economic ties.
Trump this month threatened to backtrack on a trade agreement with the UK that limits the impact of US tariffs as he criticized Britain’s lack of support over the Iran war. Charles’s final engagement will celebrate the work of his youth charity, The King’s Trust, at a reception at auction house Christie’s.
Security in New York was tight for the royal visit, which came just days after an apparent assassination attempt against Trump at a Washington press gala. British officials will be pleased so far with the pomp-filled US welcome for Charles and Camilla, which has included a 21-gun salute, military jet flypast, and a state banquet at the White House. Trump, taking a jovial tone, has even joked about his Scottish-born mother having a crush on Charles. That is in stark contrast to his barbs at Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to join the war against Tehran.
Charles used his address on Tuesday to Congress — the first by a British monarch since his mother Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 — to try to smooth over those tensions. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy,” he told lawmakers. Addressing Congress during celebrations marking 250 years since American independence from Britain, Charles stressed how the two nations’ partnership was “born out of dispute, but no less strong for it.”
© 2024 AFP
