Buckingham Palace Pays Tribute on 25th Anniversary of 9/11 With Protocol-Breaking Changing of the Guard Ceremony

Buckingham Palace paid tribute on Friday to the lives lost 25 years ago on Sept. 11 with an all-American musical display during the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

The Band of The Coldstream Guards marched into the palace forecourt in signature red coats and black bearskins, assembling into lines before a crowd watching from behind the gates. The ensemble performed two pieces by John Philip Sousa, the composer famous for American military marches: “The Thunderer” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

The band also honored the United States by playing the American national anthem and “Amazing Grace.”

King Charles ordered the gesture a quarter-century after his mother, Queen Elizabeth, broke protocol to honor a foreign nation during the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Two days after nearly 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the late queen commanded the Coldstream Guards to play the American national anthem outside Buckingham Palace.

England’s tribute accompanies other displays of remembrance for the milestone anniversary. In New York City, light-up drones recreated the outlines of the twin towers.

Billboard is honoring the date with a roundup of songs emerging in the aftermath, featuring tracks that grieve for victims and families while recognizing American resilience.

Watch the Buckingham Palace musical tribute to the 25th anniversary of 9/11 below.