King Charles III and Queen Camilla continued Wednesday to highlight the “enduring solidarity” between the United States and the United Kingdom, in a heartfelt handwritten message left at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.
“We honour the memory of those who tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001,” the royals wrote on the note card attached to a bouquet of white flowers. “We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of profound loss.”
The moment was part of the King and Queen’s day-long detour from Washington, DC, up to New York to highlight the shared connections between the US and UK and spotlight some of the royals’ philanthropic interests. They also met dignitaries and celebrities in America’s most populous city.
The King and Queen were guided for part of their visit to the site by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who chairs the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
The handwritten message was part of Charles’ efforts to highlight the support and solidarity between the two allies at a time when US President Donald Trump’s relations with Europe — and the UK in particular — are under strain. Trump has been a repeated critic of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, including in public remarks Wednesday.
In a speech to the US Congress the day before, the King also mentioned the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as the first time NATO’s Article 5 was invoked, and the UK came to America’s defense.
“The commitment and expertise of the United States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of NATO, pledged to each other’s defense, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries,” Charles said in his speech Tuesday.
The September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center killed nearly 2,800 people — 67 of whom were British.
The royal couple met several of New York’s elected officials at the Ground Zero site, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Before the event, Mamdani said he would ask Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond — one of the world’s most famous and controversial gemstones — to India if he had the opportunity to speak separately with the monarch. It is unclear whether he did. CNN has reached out to Mamdani’s office to ask.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also attended and met the King.
Chickens and Winnie-the-Pooh
The King and Queen went their separate ways for most of the afternoon, with Charles heading up to Harlem to visit an urban farm, while Camilla went to the New York Public Library.
King Charles is a longtime environmentalist and advocate for sustainability, so the visit to the Harlem Grown nonprofit was a fitting one. The community organization works to transform abandoned urban lots into sustainable farms, aiming to tackle families’ systemic health, education and well-being challenges.
The monarch even got some hands-on experience at the farm, joining several children in feeding chickens at the coop.
Across town, Camilla met several high-profile writers — and readers — at a literary event at the library.
They included Sarah Jessica Parker, an actress, avid reader and publishing imprint owner. Also in attendance were Anna Wintour, Vogue’s global editorial director, and Min Jin Lee, a Korean American author best known for her novel, “Free Food for Millionaires.”
Camilla came to the library with a special gift: a new Roo doll to complete the collection of toys that inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
The original Roo has been long lost, so Camilla brought a replica that will now join Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger and Roo’s mom Kanga, who were donated to the library nearly 40 years ago.
CNN’s Elise Hammond and Maureen Chowdhury contributed to this report.
