For the thousands of people who gathered outside St Paul's Cathedral for a special service on Friday, this was a time of togetherness in the face of a tragedy so close, yet so far away.
Many of the US citizens in Britain at the time of Tuesday's terror strikes, said they felt distanced from family and countrymen grieving on home shores.
But in the past three days they had been overwhelmed by the support that Britain - which believes hundreds of its own citizens have died in the attacks - had offered them.
As London fell silent at 1100BST, the only sound that could be heard was the bells of St Paul's ringing.
An estimated crowd of 20,000 people lined the streets to be part of what was truly an international outpouring of grief.
Looking for peace
The mood was sombre and one of quiet reflection as the crowd paused to remember their loved ones amid the thousands of victims of the American terror attacks.
Inside, the cathedral was packed with 2,600 people, of which most were ordinary members of the public who took their place in the service alongside the Queen, the prime minister and other leading figures.
For the thousands outside, the service was relayed by a public address system.
New Yorker Jamie Felix, 25, felt she had to be there on Friday.
"There's no sense of closure yet," she said.
"I thought that the only way to begin to get that closure would be to be with other Americans and find some peace in this terrible tragedy."
Among the crowds waiting outside was Jennifer Hisey - originally from Texas but now working in London - whose brother in law escaped as the WTC was struck for the second time.
She said and her friend Julia Robertson felt compelled to come along to the service not just to give thanks for his survival but to remember those who were not so fortunate.
As the service began, the mood became more uplifting with the American National Anthem moving some to tears - followed by a sermon emphasising the triumph of good over evil.
For some the highly emotional atmosphere was all too much as they hugged one another for comfort.
Following the service the Royal Family, the Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie and the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey were among dignitaries who mingled with the crowd.
Prince Charles gave a personal message to Geoffrey Smith, from Buffalo, whose sister Kelly was caught up in the attacks on New York.
Mr Smith told the prince how his sister had been coming out of the subway when the planes struck the towers.
She managed to escape by running over Brooklyn Bridge along with thousands of other people.
The Prince asked Mr Smith - who lives and works now in London - to pass on his best wishes to his sister on his behalf.
Afterwards Mr Smith said: "His message was very meaningful."
Mr Smith and his friend Paula Kirby - originally of New York - said the service could not have been more appropriate.
"You feel a sense of helplessness and detached being over here in the UK.
"But people have been wonderful. Today has given me a chance to be with other Americans and to be part of a community".
There was indeed an overwhelming feeling of standing shoulder-to-shoulder in grief.
It was all the more poignant coming so soon after the attacks.
The memory of a sea of faces singing and praying will be one that lingers in people's minds for many years to come.
And it was all too evident that the human cost of this tragedy will be remembered for generations.
The words of one American at the service will echo the sentiment of many when she said: "We never thought this would happen in America."
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Queen leads the mourning in Britain (Electronic Telegraph)
By Victoria Combe
IN Britain's first national act of mourning for America, some 10,000 Americans and Britons gathered in and around St Paul's Cathedral for a service of remembrance which was attended by the Queen, Prince Philip and the Prince of Wales.
The crisp September sunshine bringing to mind the autumn morning in New York last Tuesday, a crowd of 8,000 stood shoulder to shoulder for the three-minute silence.
They joined the congregation of 2,400 in singing the American national anthem which opened the service. Many were too overcome to sing. Americans, with hands upon hearts, were in tears.
St Paul's had been chosen because of its strong affiliation with the American community. Behind the high altar is a memorial chapel to American servicemen who fell in the Second World War and there is an annual service for Thanksgiving.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, said in his sermon: "Liberty has always been at the heart of the American vision. That liberty must be defended.
"It is the awesome responsibility of the leaders of America to decide how to respond to this evil inflicted upon their people. May God give them wisdom to use their great power in such ways that further evil aggression is indeed deterred and the security and well-being of all is advanced."
He said such "barbaric acts" must be held to account but warned: "We must be guided by higher goals than mere revenge. As we battle with evil, our goal must be a world where such violence is a thing of the past."
William Farish, the recently-appointed American ambassador, read the first lesson from the book of Isaiah with its message of comfort and hope. St Paul's letter to the Romans, which speaks of God's unfailing love, was read by Prince Philip.
During a short silence Lauren Willoughby, a 17-year old American student from Chicago, lit a candle at the high altar on behalf of the American community.
Among the congregation were chairmen of international companies and banks, some of whom had colleagues killed in the World Trade Centre.
Two thirds of the congregation were people who had queued from early morning for a seat in the cathedral. Many were Americans on holiday who had brought nothing smarter to wear than jeans and trainers.
The spirit of the service was contained in the bidding by the Dean, the Very Rev John Moses, with its line: "We come together as members of the free world to stand alongside the people of America in their grief, wherever they may be."
The service closed with God Save The Queen and, as the bells rung out, the Queen, in a black wool suit and black velvet hat, greeted mourners on the steps of St Paul's.
After the service, the Prince of Wales talked to Peter Morris, 67, on holiday from Manhattan, and told him: "We cannot do enough. It is a terrible thing and we are with you in spirit. You may not feel it but we are." In reply, Mr Morris told the Prince: "Oh but we feel it profoundly."
Tony Blair followed behind the Royal Family with his wife, Cherie. He reached out to Americans in the crowd, saying: "We're with you. It was a tragedy and we will stand by you."
There was a sense of relief as the crowd dispersed. Diana Wills, 40, an American tourist, said she had wept throughout the ceremony. "I feel a huge relief, a big sigh. I have let go of my separate grief and can now hold on to a collective hope."
Meanwhile, in the shadow of the Roosevelt memorial outside the American Embassy in London more than 1,500 gathered to pay their respects. At 11am Mr Farish and his wife Sarah invited the crowd to "join with us in three minutes of silence".
Traffic around Grosvenor Square halted and the crowd bowed its collective head in contemplation. Such was the silence that the bells of Big Ben could be heard chiming more than a mile away.
Three minutes later, Mr Farish thanked the crowd and, as his party made their way back to the embassy, a small group started singing The Star Spangled Banner. Soon the whole crowd had joined them. As the last verse was sung, they broke out into spontaneous applause.
This proved too much for some, who broke down in tears. One little American boy, in the arms of his mother, said: "Mummy, it's too sad. I want to go home."
· Westminster Abbey is holding a vigil of prayer and reflection at 5.20pm tomorrow in remembrance of American victims. It is being broadcast on BBC1 and people are asked to be in their seats by 5pm.
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Queen pays tribute to terror victims (UK Times)
BY BEN MACINTYRE
THE Queen led mourners in a remembrance service for the victims of the worst terrorist attack in history in St Paul's Cathedral yesterday .
Exhausted rescue workers in the rubble of the World Trade Centre meanwhile continued to listen for the faint tapping of survivors. Four days after the attacks, horrified disbelief gave way to a mass outpouring of grief and prayer on both sides of the Atlantic. Millions of Britons observed a three-minute silence.
In Washington America’s leaders assembled in the National Cathedral as churches, synagogues and mosques across the nation held simultaneous services to honour the dead.
The service in St Paul’s, before a packed congregation, was relayed by loudspeaker to thousands more outside, many of whom wept as the Archbishop of Canterbury condemned the “senseless evil” that had murdered so many.
Earlier the gates of Buckingham Palace were symbolically closed, as royal staff joined the three-minute silence. The Queen broke off her holiday in Balmoral to take part in the service. As they entered the cathedral the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh gave sombre nods to those who caught their eye.
Emerging from the service the Queen told Americans outside the cathedral that she hoped the mass demonstration of Anglo-American solidarity and shared sadness had helped the bereaved. “It was a beautiful service,” she said, adding that she had been deeply moved. The Prince of Wales told one American visitor: “We can’t do enough. This is a terrible thing. We are with you in spirit. We are thinking of all of you.”
Britain experienced the biggest-ever drop in demand for power during the three-minute silence, the National Grid said, as large parts of industry and business shut down.
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