Prince And PM Join Relatives Of 9/11 Victims

Prince Charles and David Cameron have joined relatives of British victims of September 11 at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks.

Around 30 families who lost loved ones in the atrocities attended the remembrance service at the 9/11 memorial garden next to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London.

In what has become a poignant tradition on every anniversary, the relatives read out the names of the 67 British victims and laid a white rose for each of them.

Opened by the Princess Royal in 2003, the square contains a pavilion bearing three bronze plaques which list the names of victims from the UK, UK Overseas Territories and those with dual nationalities.

At the moving ceremony, Prince Charles said: "I find there are many of us who are not only tired of perpetual killing maiming and senseless terrorism that blights the human family but bewildered by it too, simply because our instinct tells us that seeking revenge actually does not achieve peace in the end.

"It is surely only by avoiding vengefulness that we can rebuild what has been lost and save it from being lost again.

"I recall that president Abraham Lincoln once spoke very powerfully of having wasted valuable hours imagining revenge or confusion.

"He spoke of the practical importance of a forgiving spirit, to dissipate anger and resentment. I cannot help feeling he was right."

The Prince, accompanied by Mr Cameron, then laid a wreath at the pavilion.

Earlier, relatives attended an early morning service at nearby Grosvenor Chapel, which is known as the "American church".

It has links to the nearby US embassy and was a place of worship for American soldiers during the Second World War.

Survivor Courtney Cowart, who was nearly buried alive when the north tower of the World Trade Centre collapsed, was among the congregation.

She told how she had been overtaken by fear when she returned to the site for a memorial service days later.

"Entering the heart of darkness, I was terrified. We were dwarfed by immense wreckage looming around us. It was a landscape drained of all colour," she said.

Canon Jim Rosenthal, who led the service, said the 9/11 attacks knew "no race, creed, gender, age or status".

Relatives also attended a service at St Paul's Cathedral, where they were joined by American ambassador to the UK Louis Susman.

The ceremony featured a new anthem called "Grief is the price we pay for love" based on a message from the Queen sent to a memorial for British victims after the attacks.

The same words are inscribed on the memorial to the 67 British victims of the tragedy in Grosvenor Square.

Angela Ridge, whose brother Robert Eaton, 37, was killed and Jim Cudmore, whose father Neil, 38, died were among relatives leading the prayers.

Almost 3,000 people died in the atrocity and Britain suffered more losses than any other country, apart from the US itself.

Ahead of the commemorations, Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed the "courage and dignity" of the American people.

Mr Hague said the attacks and subsequent terrorist incidents had only served to bind nations more tightly together.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson added: "We can see that the toxic bigotry of al Qaida is in retreat, while commonsensical western values continue to thrive.

"It was a war between medieval and modern civilisation, and modern civilisation has won."