Britain's Prince William and his wife, Kate, laid flowers Tuesday at one of New York City's most somber sites — the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum.
The couple crossed the memorial plaza in pouring rain and wind, each holding a black umbrella. Wearing a hot-pink, double-breasted Mulberry coat, black tights, and black stiletto-heeled pumps, Kate smiled as she spoke with memorial and museum President Joe Daniels. The royals then laid a bouquet at one of two reflecting pools built in the footprints of the fallen towers.
Each is ringed with the chiseled names of the nearly 2,900 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001, in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
After paying their respects at the southern pool, William and Kate entered the underground museum that commemorates the attacks.
During their half-hour visit, they descended to the bedrock level that houses exhibits.
U.S. President Barack Obama (right) meets with Prince William (left), Duke of Cambridge, in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 8, 2014, in Washington. Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are on a two-day official visit in the United States.
Escorted by Daniels and museum director Alice Greenwald, the royals passed two trident-shaped columns preserved from the facade of the fallen north tower and the battered "survivors' staircase" that hundreds used to escape on 9/11.
The duke and duchess also entered the Memorial Hall, a space between the former twin towers' footprints with a wall of blue tiles representing all the 9/11 victims, plus those who died in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Behind the wall lies a repository of unidentified Sept. 11 remains.
The nearby "In Memoriam" exhibition has profiles of the victims. Visitors can leave a message or signature with a stylus on an electronic tablet. Kate and William both signed, writing "Catherine" and "William" in script.
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, left, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge place flowers at the edge of one of the reflecting pools while visiting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. The Duke and Duchess Royal visited the site during their official Royal Visit to the United States December 9, 2014 in Manhattan, NY. (AP Photo/Robert Sabo, Pool)
Museum chief of staff Allison Blais said the duchess "talked about how in awe she was of the enormity of the space; it was something she didn't anticipate."
Blais said Kate also spoke about how moving the memorial was and being able to touch the names of the victims.
About a dozen museumgoers awaited William and Kate, smartphones at the ready.
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, left, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, place flowers at the edge of one of the reflecting pools while visiting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. The Duke and Duchess Royal visited the site during their official Royal Visit to the United States December 9, 2014 in Manhattan, NY. (AP Photo/Robert Sabo, Pool)
Before leaving the 9/11 site, William and Kate admired the massive, marble-clad lobby of 1 World Trade Center, graced by a large Christmas tree. The recently completed 104-floor skyscraper is the nation's tallest building.
A handful of onlookers braved the wet weather for a glimpse of the royals.
"I love them so much," said Kristina Crossan, a 24-year-old teacher from Middletown, New Jersey. Her mother, Marianne Crossan, called the rain "a small price to pay."
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, right, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the final day of their 3-day visit to New York.(AP Photo/Robert Sabo, Pool)
Another New Jersey resident, Krupa Shah, took the day off from her Manhattan finance job.
"I took the day off work when they got married. I didn't go to a family event when Kate was in labor, because I wanted to know what she had," Shah said. "Family will always be there, but there's only one time that Kate has her first baby."
The morning visit to the site where 67 British citizens died — the most of any foreign country — came on the last day of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's trip. Their visit to New York and his to Washington was the first time either of them has visited those cities.
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, left, and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge place flowers at the edge of one of the reflecting pools while visiting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the final day of their 3-day visit to New York. (AP Photo/Robert Sabo, Pool)
On Tuesday evening, William and Kate were expected at a black-tie fundraiser for the University of St. Andrews, where they both got their degrees.
On Monday, William went to the White House and spoke at a World Bank conference. Kate wrapped Christmas gifts and helped children decorate picture frames while touring a child development center.
On Monday evening, the couple attended a reception at the British consul general's residence co-hosted by the Royal Foundation and the Clinton Foundation. When they arrived, they spent some time talking with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.
Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, visit the National Sept.11 Memorial and Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
William and Kate then headed to the Barclays Center to watch a basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jay-Z and Beyonce were led across the court between the third and fourth quarters to chat with them, and LeBron James gave them cupcakes and some Cavaliers jerseys.
Before the game, William asked which team he should support, and was told to root for both. The couple met NBA executives and former player Dikembe Mutombo, marking a collaboration that would help raise awareness about animal trafficking.
Next to Mutombo, William said, "At last I'm standing next to someone who is taller than me."
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, talks with Joe Daniels, president of the Sept. 11 Memorial, right, during her visit to the National Sept.11 Memorial in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Associated Press writer Julie Pace in New York and Business Writer Tomoko A. Hosaka in Washington contributed to this report.
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, arrives to the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William are escorted by Joe Daniels, president & CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in the Hall of Faces, during their visit to the National September 11 Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, do a virtual signing of the South Tower Column, during their visit to the National September 11 Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)
Kate, second from right, Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, third from right, view tridents during their visit to the National September 11 Museum, as museum president & CEO Joe Daniels, right, conducts the tour, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)
Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, look at a portion of the North Tower antenna during a tour of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum,Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/ Doug Mills,The New York Times, Pool)
Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, second left, with Joe Daniels, center, president & CEO of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum view the remains of Fire Dept. of New York Ladder 3, during their visit to the National September 11 Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, do a virtual signing of the South Tower Column, during their visit to the National September 11 Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)
Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, tour the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/ Doug Mills,The New York Times, Pool)
Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, tour the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 in New York. Prince William and Kate are on the last of their 3-day tour of New York City, their first visit to the United States since a trip to California in 2011. (AP Photo/ Doug Mills,The New York Times, Pool)
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