The King sent a meaningful show of support after visiting the 9/11 memorial earlier this year
Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles broke royal tradition to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Friday, Sept. 11
- The King and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 memorial in New York City during their U.S. state visit earlier this year
- Of the 2,977 victims of the attacks, 67 were citizens of the U.K.
King Charles followed in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth, in breaking royal tradition to send a meaningful message on the anniversary of 9/11.
Friday, Sept. 11 marks the 25th anniversary of the deadliest terror attack in history, when hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Shanksville, Pa. The coordinated attacks left nearly 3,000 people dead.
To mark the anniversary, Buckingham Palace held a special version of its Changing of the Guard ceremony, during which the King’s Guard broke with tradition to play the U.S. national anthem.
The royal family’s social media account shared a video of the powerful display, which was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens and his wife, Harriet, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Security Minister Dan Jarvis.
The gesture echoed an extraordinary break with tradition made by Queen Elizabeth in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Foreign national anthems were traditionally played at Buckingham Palace in connection with state visits, but on Sept. 13, 2001 — with no visiting foreign head of state — the Queen personally requested that the Coldstream Guards perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the Changing of the Guard as a show of solidarity with the American people.
“Remembering all those affected by the tragic events of 9/11, 25 years ago today,” the caption read. “A commemorative Guard Change took place on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace this morning, during which The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester took the Royal Salute on behalf of The King.”
“The ceremony included performances of both U.S. and U.K. National Anthems, ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ and ‘Amazing Grace.’ Earlier this year, Their Majesties paid their respects at the 9/11 Memorial in New York, as part of the State Visit to the United States.”
Remembering all those affected by the tragic events of 9/11, 25 years ago today.
A commemorative Guard Change took place on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace this morning, during which The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester took the Royal Salute on behalf of The King.
The… pic.twitter.com/0ZTvRBuino
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 11, 2026
The inclusion of “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoed an extraordinary gesture made by Queen Elizabeth in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
Foreign national anthems were traditionally played at Buckingham Palace in connection with state visits, but on Sept. 13, 2001 — with no visiting foreign head of state — the Queen personally requested that the Coldstream Guards perform the U.S. national anthem during the Changing of the Guard as a show of solidarity with the American people.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Queen Elizabeth expressed “growing disbelief and total shock.” Thousands of people gathered outside the palace gates for the special performance two days later.
What’s more, the following day, the Queen herself sang the anthem during a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, marking the first time any British monarch had sung an American anthem.
“The Queen does not ‘sing’ national anthems,” Richard Kay, columnist for the Daily Mail, wrote at the time. “Her mouth never opens when they are played. It was the ultimate sign of unity, friendship, and support for America.”
Credit: Matt Moyer/Corbis via Getty
Two weeks after the attacks, the Queen penned a letter to New York praising “the resilience and determination of this great and much loved city and its people.”
“Men and women from many nations, from many faiths and from many backgrounds were working together in New York City when this unimaginable outrage overtook them all,” she wrote, in part. “These are dark and harrowing times for families and friends of those who are missing or who suffered in the attack — many of you here today. My thoughts and my prayers are with you all now and in the difficult days ahead.”
“But nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. Grief is the price we pay for love.”
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During a state visit to the U.S. in July 2010, the Queen visited Ground Zero in New York City and laid a wreath at a memorial commemorating the victims of 9/11.
Credit: Lucas Jackson/Pool/Getty
King Charles and Queen Camilla also visited Ground Zero during their state visit to the U.S. earlier this year. There, they viewed the powerful memorial that now commemorates the 2.997 victims of 9/11 — 67 of whom were citizens of the U.K. — and met with first responders and families whose lives were forever changed that day.
Among them was Will Jimeno, a retired Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department detective and one of just two officers pulled alive from beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center after being buried for 13 hours following the attacks.
Jimeno later spoke with PEOPLE about the encounter, saying he was impressed by how personal his interactions were with the King and Queen.
“It wasn’t one of those ‘shake someone’s hand and move on’ moments,” he says. “He was genuinely interested and engaged.”
Credit: Samir Hussein- Pool/Getty
Queen Camilla, he says, was “so sweet,” expressing disbelief at what he had endured, and then turning her attention to his wife, who had been seven months pregnant at the time of the attacks.
“She was very taken aback,” Jimeno recalls. “She said, ‘You were buried for 13 hours?’ She couldn’t believe it and said it was a ‘testament to the human spirit.’ “
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