The royals remember them

LONDON – The royal family led the nation in a two-minute silence on Remembrance Day to commemorate those who died in conflict.

King Charles appeared visibly emotional as he laid a wreath at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, where he was joined by other senior royals including the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Monarch (760, approached the war memorial just before 11am and saluted. After the Big Ben bells chimed on the hour, a two-minute silence was perfectly observed before a gun was fired and the Last Post was sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines to mark the end.

Charles, wearing a field marshal uniform with a ceremonial frock coat, then stepped forward and laid a wreath at the Cenotaph before saluting again. 

Prince William, wearing his RAF uniform in the rank of wing commander with a greatcoat, poppy and sword and Prince Edward followed shortly after the King, similarly laying wreaths and saluting. Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales, both dressed in black, sang the national anthem as they watched the service from the centre balcony of the Foreign Office above the Cenotaph. 

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, appeared teary-eyed as she watched the service from the left balcony alongside the Duke of Kent (90) who gave a firm salute, as the service began. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester watched on from the right balcony. Prime Ministers past and present, including David Cameron, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, also paid their respects as they lined up together in front of the Cenotaph.

Party leaders Sir Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch stood in front of them holding wreaths.

Senior politicians and members of the Royal Family departed after laying wreaths so the thousands of veterans could start their march-past.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans are taking part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past through Whitehall, alongside about 20 Second World War veterans.

Services are also taking place across the country to honour the fallen, with this year’s Armistice Day marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. 

Ahead of the two-minute silence at 11am, military bands had performed songs including Rule Britannia as crowds watched on along Whitehall.

Last night, Charles appeared visibly moved by a heartfelt rendition of God Save the King at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance. 

The monarch, who was announced as a patron of the Royal British Legion last year, was then treated to three cheers from the Armed Forces at the Royal Albert Hall.

It was also a memorable night for Prince George who made his debut at the Festival of Remembrance alongside his mother, the Princess of Wales. George was effectively standing in for his father, Prince William, who was travelling back from his Earthshot Prize Awards and the COP30 summit in Brazil.

Sir Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder and Keala Settle also attended last night’s event, where there were performances by the Central Band of the RAF, the RAF Squadronaires and the Band of HM Royal Marines. 

Ahead of today’s commemorations, the Prime Minister said: ‘This Remembrance Sunday, we pause as a nation to honour all those who have served our country.

‘We reflect on the extraordinary courage of our armed forces in the world wars and subsequent conflicts, whose service secured the freedoms we cherish today.

‘Eighty years since the end of the Second World War, we remember a generation who stood against tyranny and shaped our future. Their legacy is peace and our duty is to protect it.