It's been 25 years since terrorists carried out the deadliest attack on US soil. A quarter of a century since nearly 3,000 people were killed and life as we knew it had changed. The images from the morning of September 11, 2001 are forever etched into the minds of those who were old enough to remember watching the horror of the second plane hitting the South Tower, people falling from upper floors, the Twin Towers, fixtures of the New York skyline, collapsing and people emerging covered in dust and ash.
And that was only the devastation in New York.
In Washington, D.C., American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania, United Airlines Flight 93 came down after its heroic passengers and crew fought back against the terrorists who had hijacked their plane.
September 11 showed the worst in humanity, but America's darkest day also revealed the best. Strangers helped strangers, courageous first responders risked their lives to save others, the country came together and the world reacted to the terrorist attacks, including the UK's Queen Elizabeth.
© BETH A. KEISER/AP POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe late monarch expressed ''growing disbelief and total shock" over 9/11. Two days after the attacks, Queen Elizabeth broke tradition, having the US National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, performed during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. It was reported at the time that more than 3,000 people including hundreds of Americans gathered outside Buckingham Palace and as the band of the Coldstream Guards began the US national anthem, hundreds in the crowd sang along while others wept.
The following day, on Sept. 14, 2001, the Queen herself is said to have sung the US National Anthem at a service held at London's St. Paul's Cathedral in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks. Richard Kay wrote for the Daily Mail at the time: "The Queen does not 'sing' national anthems. Her mouth never opens when they are played. It was the ultimate sign of unity, friendship, and support for America."
The Queen famously stated that "grief is the price we pay for love" in a message to New York that was read at a service less than two weeks after the attacks. In her message, the Queen said: "You come together today in St Thomas church in New York united in sorrow by the terrible events of last week. Each and every one of us has been shocked and numbed by what we have witnessed in these recent days. But none of us should doubt the resilience and determination of this great and much loved city and its people. Men and women from many nations, from many faiths and from many backgrounds were working together in New York City when this unimaginable outrage overtook them all.
© GERRY PENNY/AFP via Getty Images"At your service today, we think especially of the British victims. For some of them, New York was simply a stopover on some busy travel schedule. For others it was a workplace of excitement and of opportunity. For many it was a familiar second home. These are dark and harrowing times for families and friends of those who are missing or who suffered in the attack - many of you here today.
"My thoughts and my prayers are with you all now and in the difficult days ahead. But nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. Grief is the price we pay for love."
Twenty-five years later, the Queen's words remain with us.
May we never forget.
