King Charles and Queen Camilla visit NYC, as New Yorkers scramble to catch a glimpse

In 1776, after hearing George Washington read out the Declaration of Independence in lower Manhattan, angry colonists stormed down to Bowling Green to mutilate a statue of King George III and melt its gold-gilded lead into munitions to shoot at the British.

What a difference 250 years makes.

On Wednesday, George’s great-great-great-great-grandson Charles — King Charles III — was in the neighborhood. Throngs of Americans sought to catch a glimpse, as Charles, along with Queen Camilla, embarked on a daylong tour through a now-former colony that once fought a war to kick his ancestors out.

Among the onlookers was Theresa Harris, who happened to be walking along West Street while visiting her son in Battery Park City while Camilla and Charles’ entourage went by in a limousine.

"Here we are witnessing it. I can’t get over it. It’s a very important time in our country for him to be here," said Harris, 63, of Manasquan, New Jersey. "I just hope that, because Trump is a lover of the royals, that this softens him a teeny bit in his approach, and he finds a way to be more cooperative in his foreign policy."

Earlier this week, Charles met with President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the Royal Navy that Charles served in, and addressed the U.S. Congress.

Harris saw the royal couple as they left Ground Zero, where they laid flowers in tribute to the 2,977 victims killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, including 67 from the United Kingdom. Attending the ceremony were Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Charles’ agenda included a visit to an after-school organization focused on urban farming that helps hungry youth, a meeting with business leaders, and a reception at Rockefeller Center for the King's Trust, a charity founded by Charles 50 years ago. Camilla went to the New York Public Library to donate a Roo doll for its Winnie the Pooh collection.

Afterward, the British ambassador to America, Sir Christian Turner, said in a statement: 
“From the Declaration of Independence to Winnie-the-Pooh, from Jane Austen to Harlan Coben, the books and manuscripts held within these walls are a testament to the imagination and values we share across the Atlantic.”

For his part, before meeting Charles, Mamdani did not rein in his longstanding criticism of the British Empire, which he’s blamed for fueling the ravages of colonialism. Mamdani's father, Mahmood, is an anti-colonial scholar.

Mamdani said Wednesday if he got the opportunity to speak privately with Charles, he’d urge him to return a giant crown jewel to India on display in the Tower of London.

"If I were to speak to the king separately … I’d probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond," said Mamdani, who was born to Indian parents in Uganda, both countries that were colonized by the British.

In New York, security was tight everywhere the royal couple went: shuttered streets, snipers on roofs, sand-filled trucks to block would-be bombs. 

Charles and Camilla entered and left their motorcade via a tent, so a sighting by the public was unlikely.

That didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of onlookers, or at least most of them.

Sientje Gontha, 75, of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, waved as the royal limousine passed by, flanked by her daughters Pamela and Jane. The family snapped photos.

Gontha, a longtime fan of the royals, was elated even at the unlikely chance to see the royal couple in person. 

Pamela Gontha said her mom woke her up early in the morning upon finding out where Charles and Camilla would be Wednesday.

"She’s a big fan," said Pamela Gontha, who works as an extra in movies and TV.

Nearby, Jorge Artalejo, 64, of Park Slope, had a Union Jack flag tucked into his jacket. He said Americans and the British people are quite alike.

"We share the same identity," he said.

Not everyone cared about the royal visit.

Lucy Charlery, a nanny who works in lower Manhattan, happened to be wheeling a stroller as the royals prepared to depart nearby. She didn’t bother staying. 

"They’re not God!" she said, pushing the stroller along. "I don’t have to come and see them!"