King Charles III and Queen Camilla in NYC: Security plan in place for royal visit
LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- After the pomp and circumstance in Washington, D.C., King Charles III and Queen Camilla will come to New York City on Wednesday, a trip that will include a stop in Harlem and a visit to the 9/11 memorial.
Their visit comes in the wake of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which has prompted officials to take a second look at security.
"We're 100% confident the security plan we have in place for tomorrow is going to be effective," said Matt McCool, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service.
The security plan has been in the works for more than a month, weeks ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit to New York City.
McCool told Eyewitness News that the plan in place is multi-layered and carefully orchestrated among his agency, their U.K. counterparts, the NYPD, the FDNY, and the Port Authority Police.
Armored vehicles will be part of the motorcade as the royals move around the city.
Their first stop will be the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, where the couple will meet with first responders and families whose loved ones were killed. September marks 25 years since the terror attack.
"My wife and I will again pay our respects to the victims, the families, and the bravery shown in the face of terrible loss," King Charles III said during his visit to D.C. on Tuesday. "We stood with you then, and we stand with you now in solemn remembrance of a day that shall never be forgotten."
From there, Queen Camilla will head to the New York Public Library, while King Charles will head to 134th Street, where on Tuesday afternoon, Eyewitness News spotted law enforcement canvassing the area.
King Charles will meet with the nonprofit, Harlem Grown, which provides free locally grown fruits and vegetables to the community. But some living in the neighborhood are skeptical about the visit.
"If it's helping the community then yes, if it's not, it makes no sense to me," said Harlem resident Ismael Sow.
Agent McCool says the security plan is always fluid.
Tweaks were made on the heels of Saturday night's shooting in D.C.
On Wednesday, there will be measures in place, both seen and unseen.
"Our counter assault team, our counter snipers," McCool said.
McCool calls outdoor events in New York City particularly challenging.
"You've got the long-range threats that you have to deal with... every rooftop, every window. We've been planning for the worst-case scenario from day one," McCool said.
This is King Charles' 20thvisit to the U.S., and his first as king. The trip was planned months ago, despite awkward timing, with President Donald Trump recently slamming the British prime minister for staying out of the war in Iran. But the monarchy is used to staying out of political division at home and abroad, and this visit is meant to reinforce economic, environmental and cultural connections behind that alliance.
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