King Charles III expressed his condolences on Saturday to the United States and the families affected by the tragic plane crash in Washington, D.C.
“My family and I have been profoundly shocked and saddened by the dreadful news of the tragic air accident in Washington, D.C., which has led to such a devastating loss of life,” the monarch stated in a memo released by Buckingham Palace, which has been widely shared by various news outlets.
“Our hearts, and our special thoughts, are with the people of the United States, and our deepest possible sympathy goes to the families and loved ones of all the victims.”
King Charles also took a moment to pay “particular tribute to the emergency responders who acted so quickly to this horrendous event.”
DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS RECOVER AMERICAN AIRLINES BLACK BOXES AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION
On the evening of Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 64 individuals were aboard an American Airlines regional jet that was en route to Reagan National Airport from Wichita, Kansas, when it collided midair with an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers. The collision tragically resulted in both aircraft plunging into the Potomac River, with no survivors among the occupants.
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation. Search crews are actively recovering bodies, and both aircraft remain submerged in the Potomac until a salvage operation can be conducted.
This incident marks the first commercial airline accident on U.S. soil since 2009, when a plane bound for Buffalo, New York, stalled shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of 50 people.
In December 2022, King Charles also offered condolences for the victims of a December 29 plane crash in South Korea that claimed 179 lives. “My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the horrific air accident at Muan, which resulted in such grievous loss of life,” he remarked at the time. “As the people of the Republic of Korea mourn this disaster, the families and loved ones of all the victims are in our prayers.”
VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER
The royal family has a history marked by tragedy. Notably, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, and Lord Louis Mountbatten, a second cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth, was murdered in an Irish Republican Army bombing in 1979.
Additionally, Queen Elizabeth’s uncle, Prince George, the Duke of Kent, died in a plane crash in 1942 while visiting troops in Iceland, and her first cousin, Prince William, the Duke of Gloucester, perished in a plane crash during an air show in Staffordshire, England, in 1972.
The royal family frequently travels by air, with both Prince Philip and King Charles having learned to fly during their military service. Moreover, Prince William and Prince Harry both served as helicopter pilots in the military.
In a notable incident, Charles experienced a scare while piloting a small, non-military aircraft over Scotland’s Inner Hebrides in 1994 when he suffered a tire blowout and overshot a runway. He subsequently relinquished his pilot’s license a year later.