King Charles’ Guards Honor 9/11 Victims With Special Performance at Buckingham Palace
The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks was marked in London with a solemn musical tribute, as the British Army’s Band of the Coldstream Guards performed at Buckingham Palace in honor of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the tragedy.
On Friday, Sept. 11, the band took part in a commemorative Changing of the Guard ceremony at the palace, performing a program that brought together British and American musical traditions.
Among the selections were John Philip Sousa’s “The Thunderer” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” which the band performed as it marched toward Buckingham Palace. The ceremony itself featured both the U.S. and U.K. national anthems, along with “Hymn to the Fallen” from Saving Private Ryan and the traditional hymn “Amazing Grace.”
A Royal Tribute at Buckingham Palace
Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, represented King Charles at the commemorative ceremony. The couple took the Royal Salute on the palace forecourt alongside U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Warren Stephens.
Stephens attended with his wife, Harriet, while British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was also present. Around 40 invited guests, including British and American nationals, attended the ceremony.
The performance took place as the world marked 25 years since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, giving the traditional Changing of the Guard a distinctly commemorative character. The official September 2026 schedule lists the Sept. 11 Buckingham Palace ceremony as a Guard Change involving F Company Scots Guards, with musical support from the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Band of the Grenadier Guards.
A Tradition That Began Days After 9/11
Friday’s tribute also echoed a gesture made by Queen Elizabeth shortly after the attacks.
On Sept. 13, 2001, just two days after the terrorist attacks in New York City, Queen Elizabeth requested that the Band of the Coldstream Guards perform the U.S. national anthem during the Changing of the Guard.
The moment became a highly visible expression of British solidarity with the United States at a time of profound grief. The Coldstream Guards’ band continues to play a central role in ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace and other major royal occasions.
Remembering the 2,977 Victims
The Sept. 11 attacks remain the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. On that morning in 2001, members of al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, another struck the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks, including 67 British victims. The effects of the tragedy have continued well beyond that day, with thousands of people who lived, worked or attended school near Ground Zero still dealing with serious illnesses associated with the aftermath of the attacks.
King Charles and Queen Camilla Paid Tribute in New York
The Buckingham Palace ceremony followed a personal tribute from King Charles and Queen Camilla earlier in 2026.
On April 29, during their visit to New York City, the King and Queen went to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. They laid a bouquet of flowers beside the south reflecting pool, honoring those who lost their lives in the attacks.
The couple were joined by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and met with families of victims, first responders involved in the rescue efforts, serving personnel and representatives of organizations supporting victims’ families. The April ceremony marked the royal couple’s first visit to the memorial, which opened in 2011.
The flowers carried a handwritten message from the King and Queen expressing their remembrance of those who died and their continued solidarity with the American people.
The note read:
“We honour the memory of all those who so tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001, and stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of such profound loss.”
It was signed “Charles R” and “Camilla R.” The use of “R” follows the traditional royal form, with the letters representing the Latin words Rex and Regina, meaning king and queen.
A Shared Moment of Remembrance
The tribute at Buckingham Palace offered another public expression of the longstanding ties between Britain and the United States.
As the Band of the Coldstream Guards performed music associated with both countries, the ceremony brought the two nations together in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, the music at Buckingham Palace served as a formal tribute to the victims while recalling the solidarity shown by Britain in the immediate aftermath of one of the defining tragedies of the 21st century.