During King Charles and Queen Camilla’s recent U.S. trip, they had a somber moment. This occurred on April 29 during a visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.
The memorial visit was private, with people cleared out. However, a 9/11 survivor met with the two after former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg gave them a tour.
Will Jimeno details his invitation from King
Charles and Camilla honored the victims by laying a bouquet of white flowers down at the reflecting pool edge, according to People. There were 67 British victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack. During the short ceremony at the museum, the royal couple was silent while Taps was played.
They then met with families and first responders whose lives were impacted by the terrorist attack. This included retired Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department detective Will Jimeno. He was buried alive in the World Trade Center ruins for 13 hours before being rescued.
“I got a phone call from the 9/11 Museum,” Will said. “They said, ‘We have a request … from King Charles.’ And I was like, ‘What?'” He had plans to hunt turkeys that day, and almost declined. However, because his wife Allison was also invited, and loves the royals, he decided to attend. “It’s a big honor,” he says.
Will didn’t expect spending much time with Charles and Camilla, but was surprised at the extended interaction. He said, “It wasn’t one of those ‘shake someone’s hand and move on’ moments. He was genuinely interested and engaged.”
While Will introduced himself and told his story, Queen Camilla was obviously interested in what he endured. “She was very taken aback,” Will recalls. “She said, ‘You were buried for 13 hours?’ She couldn’t believe it and said it was a ‘testament to the human spirit.’ “
Will said, “They took the time. I was told it might be 30 minutes, but it ended up being closer to an hour. They really listened.”
TELL US – IS IT SURPRSING THAT CHARLES AND CAMILLA TOOK THE TIME TO MEET WITH 9/11 SURVIVORS?
