King Charles III And Queen Camilla Visit New York 9/11 Memorial Ahead Of 25th Anniversary

King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited New York City on the third day of their state visit to the United States, and their schedule included an event at the 9/11 memorial in Lower Manhattan in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

CNN said the royals “went to the 9/11 memorial and a US-UK cultural reception,” and it described their stop in the Financial District before they moved on to other engagements.

ABC News

At the memorial, CNN reported that the royals wrote, “We honour the memory of those who tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001,” and added, “We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of profound loss.”

CNN also said the bouquet of white flowers was laid “on the edge of one of the memorial’s pools,” after which they greeted “a group of families of 9/11 victims and first responders.”

The BBC’s account of US reaction emphasized that the visit unfolded at a fraught time in US-British relations, with the White House and Downing Street at odds over the war in Iran, even as US networks leaned into pageantry.

The Independent similarly placed the memorial visit “ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks,” and said the royals “laid a bouquet of white flowers at the memorial pool and met with first responders and families killed during the attacks.”

In parallel with the memorial, CNN said Charles stopped by an urban farm in Harlem, while Camilla spoke at a literary gathering at the New York Public Library.

Before the New York stops, King Charles III delivered remarks to a joint meeting of Congress Tuesday, and multiple outlets described the speech as a blend of praise, humor, and indirect pushback amid rising US-UK tensions.

CNN said the King “subtly — but with some force — pushed back on several issues that Trump has sparred with Britain over in recent months,” including offering praise to NATO, which CNN said the US leader has repeatedly criticized for not getting involved in the conflict with Iran.

BBC

NBC News described the speech as “soft-edged rebuttals to some of the very positions aired by President Donald Trump,” and it said Charles used “humor and history to try to steady the alliance, while quietly pushing back.”

NBC News reported that support for NATO, inclusivity, and the “defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people” appeared in a series of indirect rejoinders to Trump, and it said Charles called the alliance “truly unique,” adding that it was “more important today than it has ever been.”

CNN also tied the speech to the broader diplomatic strain, saying the visit came as Buckingham Palace sought to downplay comments made by Trump during a state dinner that “apparently revealed Charles’ views on Iran.”

The Independent added that on Tuesday night, Trump said the US would never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and surprised guests by suggesting the King shared that view, while the King’s own comments “did not speak about Iran or the Iran war.”

NBC News quoted the King at the state dinner closing out his speech to Congress, saying, “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence, the actions of this great nation matter even more,” and it described Trump’s praise at the dinner.

US reactions to the visit, as described by the BBC, leaned heavily toward warmth and pageantry even as political disagreements persisted, and the BBC framed the reception as unusual in a country where it said people “agree on almost nothing.”

“- Published The United States declared independence from the British crown 250 years ago - but this week, it could not get enough of it”

BBC

The BBC said that “From the minute King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped onto the White House South Lawn,” US networks “dumped their standard diet of political warfare and breaking news for something rare: pure pageantry.”

It also said the reviews following the King’s appearances at the White House, in Congress, and in New York were “warm across the political divide,” and it cited a conservative Washington Examiner commentator who argued the UK needed “more than conventional diplomacy.”

The BBC quoted that commentator’s view that “His Majesty's Government under scandal-plagued Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer needed the monarchy to do what only the king could do,” and it described that as a conservative editorial stance.

The BBC also included an Arizona Republic opinion writer’s line that “Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see what's really going on,” and it said the writer added, “It's striking to have a king remind us of what democracy is all about.”

It then described Trump’s Anglophile enthusiasm, saying “For months, Donald Trump - a committed Anglophile and avid fan of the Royals - repeatedly told reporters that he was excited for the King's visit.”

NBC News, meanwhile, described Charles’ approach as one that tried to steady the alliance while pushing back on Trump’s positions, and it quoted Michael Bociurkiw saying Charles was “the only world figure that could come at this very turbulent time, into the White House, and politely say what needs to be said in a way that doesn’t offend.”

While CNN, BBC, and NBC News emphasized pageantry and a carefully calibrated message, The Guardian framed the same state visit as a “full-throttle distraction and denial,” arguing that the trip was built on the “pretence that we were still living in normal times.”

The Guardian wrote that “Forget the Iran war, presidential rants about the British prime minister and growing political violence,” and it asserted that the visit was designed for “Charlie to smile for the camera.”

CBS News

It also described the Oval Office meeting as occurring “in private after British officials tried to avoid a repeat of the humiliating scenes between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Donald Trump,” and it characterized the trip as “the toughest for US-British diplomacy since George VI met Franklin D Roosevelt to garner support on the eve of the second world war.”

The Guardian’s column included a quote attributed to an “insider” saying, “He reads all his papers and knows exactly what is going on,” and it contrasted that with a claim that the visit failed to address scandals involving Jeffrey Epstein.

The Guardian cited remarks by the new British ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, saying it was “extraordinary” that scandals around Epstein had brought down a member of the royal family and senior officials in Britain “and yet here in the US, it really hasn’t touched anybody”.

The Guardian also described how the White House social media accounts trolled after Charles’ address to Congress by posting an image of Trump with the monarch and the caption: “TWO KINGS.”

The Independent added another layer by reporting that King Charles shared a brief exchange with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial after saying he’d urge the return of a crown jewel to India if they were to speak separately.

As the state visit moved from Washington to New York, the sources described a continuing sequence of engagements and a shift in tone tied to the underlying US-UK disputes.

CNN said the King and Queen “have wrapped up a busy day in New York City on the third day of their state visit,” and it described that they attended the 9/11 memorial and then went to “several other engagements,” including Harlem Grown and a New York Public Library literary event.

CNN

CNN also said Charles went to a UK trade and business event at “30 Rockefeller Plaza,” and it described the day ending with a UK-US cultural reception for King’s Trust before heading back to Washington, DC.

The Independent reported that the “Greater Together” cultural reception is the last event of King Charles’ New York City visit and placed it at “20 Rockefeller Plaza,” while also saying the royals would later travel to Virginia for a formal farewell from President Donald Trump.

NBC News said Charles was “heading to New York from Washington on Wednesday,” and it described how the speech to Congress paired “levity with pointed reminders of alliances, obligations and shared values,” with the tone expected to shift Wednesday.

The BBC’s account added that the King and Queen traveled to New York City on Wednesday and made stops including “one at the 9/11 Memorial,” and it also discussed how business around a British-themed restaurant and store in New York was “a lot busier” around the King’s visit.

The Guardian, in contrast, argued that the visit’s lack of direct engagement with Epstein’s victims would be a lasting message, writing that Charles “courted Trump while failing to meet Epstein’s victims – or even mention them explicitly in his speech.”