New York, United States. Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in New York on Wednesday to commemorate victims of the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attack on the city during a four-day state visit to the United States.
Washington meetings and speech
The visit to New York followed a packed day in Washington on Tuesday, when Charles delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress, held private meetings with President Donald Trump amid tensions between the U.S. and Britain over the Iran war, and met with leaders of the U.S. tech industry.
Comments on Iran and nuclear proliferation
At a White House state dinner on Tuesday night, Trump suggested Charles told him he did not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. The king is not a spokesman for the UK government, and it could not be confirmed that Charles made the statement to Trump.
Downing Street did not comment on Trump’s remarks. Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Wednesday, “The King is naturally mindful of his government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”
Britain was among the countries alongside the U.S. that negotiated the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which sharply limited Tehran’s nuclear programs and opened them to inspectors until Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the agreement during his first White House term.
Tensions in U.S.-Britain relations
Charles and Camilla’s visit to New York came on the third day of their state visit during a tense period in relations between the U.S. and Britain, after Trump has repeatedly criticized Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for what Trump said was his lack of help in prosecuting the Iran war.
9/11 memorial ceremony and Harlem visit
Charles and Camilla were set to begin their day in New York with a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan, where the twin towers of the World Trade Center were destroyed by al Qaeda suicide bombers on September 11, 2001, an attack that killed nearly 2,800 people.
Charles was expected to meet New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, at the ceremony. He was then expected to head to Harlem to visit a grassroots community organization that created a sustainable after-school urban farming initiative to combat food insecurity, according to local media.
Camilla’s literary event
Camilla was set to mark the 100th birthday of A.A. Milne’s fictional character Winnie-the-Pooh on behalf of her charity, The Queen’s Reading Room, which Buckingham Palace described as a “literary engagement” event.
What do you think the royal visit to New York will highlight most for U.S.-Britain relations?
