King Charles and Queen Camilla have shared a message of “enduring solidarity” with the American people as they commemorated the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Their words of sympathy were inscribed on a handwritten note accompanying a bouquet of flowers, placed at the poignant memorial in New York.
The tribute honours the near-3,000 people who tragically lost their lives almost 25 years ago.
Penned in the King’s distinctive black script, the message read: “We honour the memory for those who so tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001.
“We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people and in the face of their profound loss. Charles R Camilla.”
The memorial, known as “Reflecting Absence”, immortalises those who perished.
It features twin waterfall pools situated precisely where the World Trade Centre’s north and south towers once stood, brought down by terrorists who flew passenger planes into the buildings.
They are nestled among skyscrapers in a space filled with dozens of swamp white oak trees, with the sound of cascading water creating a feeling of tranquillity away from bustling Manhattan.
The King and Queen laid the bouquet of white roses at the edge of the south pool during a sombre and poignant moment of reflection.
The couple were joined by media mogul and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, who took up office just a few months after the terrorist attack.
Surrounding the waterfalls, which plunge almost 10 metres into a large basin before the water drops again, six metres into a central void, are the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing.
According to the memorial architect, Michael Arad, the pools represent “absence made visible” and although water flows into the voids, they can never be filled.
King Charles and Queen Camilla departed the 9/11 memorial just before 2pm on Wednesday to head off to separate events.
The King travelled to Harlem to visit a grassroots community organisation that works with children and young people affected by food insecurity.
Meanwhile, the Queenattended an event at the New York Public Library’s main branch to celebrate both countries’ shared love of literature.
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