King Charles Breaks Royal Tradition to Honor 9/11 Victims

LONDON — Marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, King Charles broke with royal tradition to pay tribute to 2,977 victims, including 67 British citizens. During the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the King’s Guard played the American national anthem. The special ceremony also featured the British anthem alongside “Hymn to the Fallen” and “Amazing Grace.”
Attendees included the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who took the royal salute on the King’s behalf, US Ambassador Warren Stephens and his wife Harriet, Foreign Secretary David Lammy… (note: article names “Ed Miliband” as foreign secretary and “Dan Jarvis” as security minister) — Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Security Minister Dan Jarvis. The royal family shared a video of the ceremony, writing: “Today we remember all those affected by the tragic events of 9/11, 25 years ago.”
The gesture echoes Queen Elizabeth II, who first broke centuries of tradition on September 13, 2001 — two days after the attacks — by having the Coldstream Guards play the American anthem, and later sang along to it at a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, a first for a British monarch. Earlier this year, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Ground Zero in New York during a state visit to the US.