King Charles leads 20th-anniversary commemoration of 7/7 London bombings

King Charles III led commemorations Monday on the 20th anniversary of the 2005 London transit bombings, the deadliest attack on the British capital since World War II.

LONDON — King Charles III led commemorations Monday on the 20th anniversary of the 2005 London transit bombings, the deadliest attack on the British capital since World War II.

Fifty-two people died and more than 700 were wounded when four British men inspired by al-Qaida blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus during the morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. They were the first suicide bombings on European soil.

Two weeks later, four other bombers attempted a similar attack, but their devices failed to explode. No one was hurt.

The bombings remain seared into London's collective memory, and the anniversary will be marked with a ceremony at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park and a service of commemoration at St. Paul's Cathedral.

In a message, the king said his "heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer's day."