The minute the world fell silent

Lunchtime in London, morning in New York - and everywhere, silence. At 1.46pm today, a year to the moment after Flight 11 plunged into the north tower of the World Trade Center, the world stopped still for a minute's silence as people remembered the victims of the terror attacks on America.

In London, they remembered with a service at St Paul's Cathedral attended by the Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister.

Three thousand people died that day, and in the memory of those lives cut short 3,000 white rose petals were released from the dome of St Paul's, falling on to the altar moments before the precise anniversary of the impact on the World Trade Center's second tower at 2.03pm.

A congregation of 2,000, which also included Prince Harry, Gordon Brown, Ken Livingstone, Iain Duncan Smith and friends and relatives of the victims, attended the service. Afterwards Prince Charles and Harry met relatives of the 67 British dead.

Outside the cathedral there were thousands more: British, Australians, South Africans and, most poignantly of all, New Yorkers, all gathering in the shadow of Wren's great cathedral to remember the dead.

Pinstriped bankers stood beside American tourists and office workers on their lunch break, in respectful silence. They showed their solidarity with the US by wearing the Stars and Stripes badges or ribbons of red, white and blue, and when the strains of the Star Spangled Banner could be heard from inside the cathedral no one was too proud to shed a tear.

Inside St Paul's, draped over the altar, was another flag. Rescued from Ground Zero, the tattered Union flag, which measures 8ft by 4ft, is of mysterious origin. No one knows why it was in New York or who it belonged to but it played a central part in London's day of remembrance.

Earlier, in a ceremony at the US embassy, Lieutenant Frank Dwyer, New York's highest-ranked uniformed police officer, presented the flag to Home Secretary David Blunkett. "This flag is torn and tattered but it still may be flown as a symbol of the endurance and strength of the British people," he said. Firefighter John McCole, who had travelled from New York to London for the service, said it gave the people of his city a huge boost to know that they were being remembered today.

"It unites us, it brings us together," he said. "I have family in London and I came here myself - I am not representing anyone."

Dressed in New York fire department's ceremonial uniform of white gloves, blue jacket and white rimmed cap, Mr McCole said: "We are now basically helping families to cope. It is difficult today, but it helps to be here and it helps the families."

Also outside the cathedral was south London dancer Shaun Mulryne, 20, who lost a distant cousin, Emma Smith, and her three-year-old daughter Sophie in the attacks. Miss Smith, 22, from Southampton, was working as a waitress in a restaurant by the twin towers when it was hit by debris. Her daughter was playing in the restaurant creche.

Mr Mulryne, who lives in Vauxhall, said: "We were all devastated at the time. She was on a working holiday and was looking forward to coming back home for Christmas. But she never did. I'm here today to pay my respects to Emma and Sophie, and others who died on that horrible day."

Three memorial candles were lit at the service, the first one by Alexandra Clarke, whose daughter Suria died in the atrocities. Mrs Clarke is a member of the 11 September UK Families' Support Group Committee.

At the precise moment the first plane hit the towers Lieutenant Dwyer lit another candle, and the impact of the second plane on the south tower was marked by the lighting of a third candle by leaders of British Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

In his sermon, the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Dr Richard Chartres, said: "So many lives, from so many nations, have been scarred by the events of one year ago today."