King Charles III and Queen Camilla kick off New York trip by honoring victims at the 9/11 Memorial

NEW YORK (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla kicked off their trip to New York City on Wednesday with a visit to the National 9/11 Memorial, where they honored victims of the 2001 attacks and spoke with relatives of those who died.

The stop was part of a busy swing through the city midway through the royal couple’s four-day trip to the U.S. to mark 250 years of American independence. It’s the first trip to the Big Apple by a reigning British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2010.

The king and queen arrived by motorcade and were greeting by various dignitaries at the memorial. They were accompanied by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg while walking to one of the parapets ringing the two pools, bearing the names of the victims of the attacks. Charles laid flowers on the parapet.

The royal couple then shook hands and spoke to a line of people, including families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and first responders. Some relatives held up photos of their lost relatives. Also in the line were New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other dignitaries. The ceremony came ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Before leaving, Charles and Camilla did not give any public remarks at the memorial, which is in keeping with tradition. The memorial plaza has generally been off limits to speeches by politicians or other public figures, with the annual commemoration ceremonies there featuring remarks only by the families and friends of the victims.

The queen was scheduled to visit the New York Public Library, where she’ll deliver a new Roo doll to add to the library’s famed collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals, as the beloved children’s character turns 100 this year.

The five dolls currently on display — Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Kanga — were the inspiration for the characters in A.A. Milne’s children’s books. They were owned by the English author’s son, the real-life Christopher Robin, in the 1920s. The dolls were donated to the library in 1987 and are a centerpiece of the library’s collection of children’s literature. Roo, in the books, was a small brown kangaroo and son of Kanga.

The king, meanwhile, was expected to visit an after-school, urban farming effort that works with young people affected by food insecurity, as well as meet later with business and financial leaders in Manhattan.

The royal couple are then expected to attend a reception for the King’s Trust, a charity Charles founded in 1976.

The four-day trip is Charles’ first state visit to the U.S. since he became king. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, made four state visits to the U.S.

Monday, the king and queen joined President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for tea at the White House.

On Tuesday, Charles and Trump had a closed-door meeting in the Oval Office. The king then delivered a rare speech before Congress — the first by a British monarch since his late mother in 1991 — followed by a formal state dinner at the White House.

The monarchs are also expected to make stops in Virginia before wrapping up their U.S. visit back at the White House on Thursday with a formal farewell from Trump. Charles then travels solo to Bermuda on his first visit as king to a British overseas territory.

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Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn., contributed to this report.

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