Solemn duty as Kate and William honour victims of 9/11 attacks
THE DUKE and Duchess of Cambridge have paid their respects to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks by visiting the New York memorial dedicated to their memory.
William and Kate began the last day of their American tour by travelling to the Manhattan site of the former World Trade Centre (WTC) twin towers attacked to devastating effect in 2011.
The visit was in contrast to the Duke and Duchess’s meeting on monday night with Brooklyn royalty Jay Z and Beyonce during a NBA basketball match between the Brooklyn Nets supported by the celebrity couple and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After the game the couple met Lebron James, the Cavaliers’ star player. They posed for a picture with James, who put his right arm on the shoulder of the Duchess, who appeared at ease.
New York has been hit by a winter storm bringing heavy rain and strong winds and the royal couple sheltered under umbrellas when they first arrived at the 9/11 memorial site.
Nearly 3,000 people, including 67 Britons, were killed after Islamist extremists hijacked passenger jets and flew them into the WTC’s twin towers and the Pentagon in Washington DC.
A fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after its crew and passengers fought back against the terrorists.
The 9/11 Memorial complex features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools surrounded by trees and is set within the footprints of the original Twin Towers.
William and Kate paid their respects to the victims of Flight 93 by laying a bouquet of white roses – the state flower of New York – on bronze panels lining one of the waterfalls and embossed with the names of those on the plane.
As the Duchess, who wore a pink Mulberry coat and a dress by Seraphine, carefully laid the flowers down she was sheltered by an umbrella held by William.
The Duke and Duchess left a handwritten message with the flowers they placed on the Flight 93 memorial. It said: “In sorrowful memory of those who died on 11th September, and in admiration of the courage shown to rebuild.”
The royal couple had signed their names – William and Catherine – underneath the words.