King Charles III and Queen Camilla opened the New York City leg of their four-day U.S. state visit on Wednesday, April 29, with a stop at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan — the first visit by a reigning British monarch to the site. The couple placed floral bouquets on the edge of one of the memorial’s twin reflecting pools, where the names of nearly 3,000 victims are inscribed, and bowed in silent reflection. A handwritten card signed by both royals pledged enduring solidarity with the American people and extended tribute to the 67 British citizens killed, as well as to victims of the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani were among the officials who greeted the couple at the plaza. The king and queen met with families of victims, first responders, and representatives of charities that support those affected. Beth Hillman, CEO of the 9/11 Memorial Museum, said the stop offered a chance to raise global awareness ahead of the attacks’ 25th anniversary in September 2026, particularly for younger generations who do not remember the day firsthand.
Later, Charles traveled to Harlem’s Grown 134 Street Farm, an urban agriculture program serving youth affected by food insecurity, where he planted lavender and mustard seeds with children. Queen Camilla visited the New York Public Library — the first such visit by a British royal since the library opened in 1895 — where she presented a handcrafted Roo figure made by Merrythought, Britain’s oldest teddy bear manufacturer, to coincide with Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th anniversary. The couple’s evening engagement was a gala at Rockefeller Center for the King’s Trust, Charles’s charity helping young people find employment or start businesses; singer Lionel Richie, a 40-year collaborator with the organization, introduced them to the audience.
The New York visit followed two days in Washington. On Tuesday, Charles addressed a joint session of Congress — only the second British monarch to do so after Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 — then attended a White House state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was among the congressional guests at that dinner, a reflection of his sustained focus on the U.S.-U.K. alliance through his work on the Senate Armed Services and Appropriations committees.
The royal tribute resonates in South Carolina through a concrete physical link. The 9/11 Remembrance Foundation of South Carolina maintains a memorial at 1101 Lincoln Street in Columbia, built around two steel beams recovered from the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The foundation holds an annual Morning of Remembrance Ceremony each September, anchoring the memory of the nearly 3,000 lives lost — including those honored Wednesday in Manhattan — to communities across the Palmetto State.
