Royals

Prince William and Duchess Catherine visit 9/11 memorial

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited the Ground Zero September 11 memorial in New York as part of their whirlwind tour of the United States.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited the Ground Zero September 11 memorial in New York as part of their whirlwind tour of the United States.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine began their second full day in New York with a visit to the recently opened 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero in downtown Manhattan. Prince William sheltered Catherine from the rainy weather with an umbrella as the Duchess lay a wreath of white roses at the reflecting pools commemorating the victims of the terrorist attack.

Related: Prince William chats about Prince George with president Barack Obama

The wreath was accompanied by a handwritten note from the couple which read: “In sorrowful memory of those who died on 11th September and in admiration of the courage shown to rebuild.”

The royal couple also toured the recently opened accompanying memorial museum where they viewed items of wreckage from the original World Trade Centre and wrote their electronic signatures next to a twisted piece of steel recovered from the wreckage of the twin towers.

The Duchess looked glowing in a pink overcoat to combat the gloomy weather as they then visited One World Trade Centre – the tallest building in America. The morning tour follows an evening spent at the basketball in Brooklyn where the couple met the royal couple of showbiz, Beyonce and Jay Z.

William and Catherine then also visited community centre The Door where they watched musical performances and chatted with locals before visiting Art Gallery the Neue House where they met with high profile creatives including film producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Patrick Stewart.

For this the Duchess looked more low-key in a simple black polo-neck dress and accompanying silver neckpiece.

Related: Duchess Catherine tours child development centre in Harlem, New York

Later today Prince William is scheduled to visit the Empire State Building with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The couple will then later host  a 600th anniversary dinner for St Andrews University – the place where they met and fell in love. It will be held at the famous at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and amongst the guests will be Tom Hanks, whose daughter attended and graduated from the university in 2004.

Duchess Catherine lays white roses at the memorial to the victims of September 11.

The flowers were accompanied by a touching handwritten note from the couple which read: “In sorrowful memory of those who died on 11th September and in admiration of the courage shown to rebuild.”

Prince William and Duchess Catherine visit the reflecting pools at the September 11 memorial in New York.

Prince William shelters Catherine from the gloomy weather in an umbrella, while the Duchess brightens things up, looking glowing in a bright pink coat.

The royal couple at the edge of the twin reflecting pools which sit in the footprint of the original twin towers of the World Trade Centre site.

The couple visit the moving memorial hall at the September 11 memorial museum.

William and Catherine view the remains of Fire Dept. of New York truck at the Septemebr 11 Memorial Museum.

Inspecting the twisted steel wreckage of the original twin towers.

The Duke and Duchess sign their electronic signatures next to a twisted piece of steel recovered from the wreckage of the twin towers.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine pause and reflect in memorial hall.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine look reflective after viewing the photographic shrine to all the victims who lost their lives in September 11.

The Duke and Duchess then visited the lobby of the new trade centre building, One World Trade Centre – the tallest building in the United States.

The couple then visited community centre ‘The Door’ where they met and chatted with locals.

The royal couple view a musical performance by youth at New York community centre ‘The Door’

Catherine then changed into a more low-key black polo neck outfit as they visited art gallery the Neue House where they met with high profile creatives including film producer Harvey Weinstein and actor Patrick Stewart.

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