Today is the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a global tragedy that shook the world.
Of the 2,977 victims on that terrible day 67 were British and UK nationals made up the second highest number of casualties after the United States.
Like any major world event, Queen Elizabeth II was affected by it greatly. But September 11 2001 also brought with it a very personal tragedy for Her Majesty when the Queen’s close friend and confidante Henry Herbert – known as ‘Porchey’ – died suddenly.
Writing in her bestseller the Palace Papers, journalist and royal insider Tina Brown discussed how the Queen followed the events of 9/11 from Balmoral before she received the devastating news about Porchey.
‘The Queen rarely watched television in the afternoon, unless it was a horse race. But on September 11 2001, she was in her Balmoral sitting room mesmerised by the calamitous images pouring out of New York City.
‘The last time she had beheld anything close to the World Trade Center destruction was during the Blitz,’ Brown wrote.
She continued: ‘The nightmarish scenes of the terrorist attack coincided with a phone call bringing the Queen devastating personal news. The 77-year-old Earl of Carnarvon, Porchey, had suffered a fatal heart attack at Highclere Castle.
‘His wife, the Wyoming heiress Jeannie Wallop, said that Carnarvon, too, had been watching the coverage of the attacks. He became agitated and collapsed, dying in the ambulance.’
The death of Porchey had echoes of the sudden passing of Princess Diana, just over four years earlier when once again ‘the magical remoteness of Balmoral was pierced by inescapable human pain’, as Brown described it.
She wrote: ‘There would be no more exuberant calls from Porchey on her mobile to brighten dutiful afternoons.
‘Multiples of human loss on the other side of the Atlantic collided with the Queen’s own intimate bereavement at home, but her public duty as sovereign allowed her little time for personal mourning.’
Following its response to the death of Diana, the Royal Family had learned its lessons on how to respond to major global events and it was a chance to show ‘a more caring and responsive monarchy to Britain’s allies’.
Brown said: ‘Lessons had been learned from the death of Diana. There could be no hiding from history at Balmoral.’
On the following day the Coldstream Guards marched down the Mall to selections by American military composer John Philip Sousa.
‘The tribute to the dead in the Palace courtyard opened with “The Star-Spangled Banner”, played to thousands of mourning American expatriates who had assembled in the front of the Palace,’ Brown said.
The Queen then flew down to London to offer condolences to the American ambassador William Farish, and to attend the Service of Remembrance at St Paul’s Cathedral.
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The then Prince Charles leaves a wreath at the London 9/11 memorial garden to mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks
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Princess Anne leaves a rose at the 9/11 memorial garden in Grosvenor Square, London, in 2003
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The Queen and Prince Philip leave a wreath at Ground Zero in July 2010
Brown wrote: ‘Prince Philip read stirringly from St Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The formal acknowledgement of America’s tragedy was both emotionally and diplomatically perfect.’
Since 2001, members of the Royal Family have joined the British Government to mark major anniversaries of the tragedy.
Two years after the attacks, Princess Anne opened the September 11 Memorial Garden in Grosvenor Square – which is dedicated to the British victims and features a piece of the North Tower buried under the garden.
It is surrounded by an oak pergola and pavilion which bears the words: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love’, part of a message from the late Queen read out at a New York remembrance service one week after the attacks.
At the ceremony, the Princess Royal told the families she hoped they would find ‘beauty, tranquillity and space’ in the garden.
The square was chosen due to its close proximity to the US embassy at the time and as a place expats gathered in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
During a trip to New York in 2010, the Queen visited Ground Zero where she laid a wreath and met family members and emergency service workers.
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A woman holds an American flag outside St. Paul’s Cathedral 14 September 2001 after a memorial service
In 2011, Prince Charles joined then Prime Minister David Cameron at a ceremony at the Memorial Garden where they both laid wreaths for the British victims to mark the 10th anniversary.
For the 20th anniversary, the late Queen sent out a message to the American people which read: ‘As we mark the 20th anniversary of the terrible attacks on 11th September 2001, my thoughts and prayers – and those of my family and the entire nation – remain with the victims, survivors and families affected, as well as the first responders and rescue workers called to duty on that day.
‘My visit to the site of the World Trade Centre in 2010 is held fast in my memory. It reminds me that as we honour those from many nations, faiths and backgrounds who lost their lives, we also pay tribute to the resilience and determination of the communities who joined together to rebuild.’
