Dressed in mourning attire, the royal couple laid a bouquet of white flowers at the edge of the South Pool. A handwritten note read: “We honour the memory of those who tragically lost their lives. We stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of profound loss.”
Sixty-seven British citizens were killed in the attacks — the largest loss of British life on foreign soil since the Second World War. The King and Queen spent time with surviving family members and first responders inside a tented reception area at the plaza.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined the receiving line and briefly shook hands with the King — a fleeting exchange after Mamdani told reporters earlier in the day that, given the chance, he would “encourage” Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India.
Behind the security cordon, a small group of demonstrators gathered. Among them, Staten Island artist and activist Scott LoBaido was seen holding a photograph of Mayor Mamdani alongside streamer Hasan Piker — a reference to Piker’s widely condemned 2019 remark that “America deserved 9/11,” comments Mamdani called “objectionable and reprehensible” during last year’s mayoral debate. The demonstration remained peaceful.
The King and Queen continued on to additional engagements in the city, including stops at Harlem Grown and the New York Public Library.
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