Related Articles
The Royal Family left poignant tributes to Britain’s war dead as they commemorated Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
King Charles and Prince William left tributes to fallen heroes alongside the leaders of the Conservative party and government, Kemi Badenoch and Sir Keir Starmer to mark the Armistice of the First World War and all other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.
The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade saw 10,000 veterans, representing 326 different armed forces and civilian organisations, marching past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.
King Charles, who looked emotional as he solemnly saluted the stone monolith, left a message on his wreath reading: ‘In grateful remembrance of your service and sacrifice.’
The Queen was absent from today’s ceremony to ensure she makes a full recovery from a chest infection, and to protect others from any risk.
Wreaths left after the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London
King Charles left a message on his wreath reading: ‘In grateful remembrance of your service and sacrifice’
Camilla left a message on her wreath reading: ‘In everlasting remembrance’
The Prince of Wales left a message on her wreath reading: ‘In memory of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember them’
Sir Keir Starmer left a message on his wreath reading: ‘To the immortal memory of those who laid down their lives for us all’
Kemi Badenoch left a message on her wreath reading: ‘We will never forget the incredible courage and bravery of British servicemen and women, who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms today. We will always remember them’
King Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal join veterans and dignitaries at the Cenotaph
Further wreaths after the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London
King Charles appeared emotional as he solemnly looked towards the Cenotaph in remembrance
Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Keir Starmer carry wreaths to lay at The Cenotaph
In her place, her Equerry Major Oliver Plunkett laid her wreath at the Service of Remembrance.
In a simple message, she had written: ‘In everlasting remembrance.’
And the Prince of Wales added: ‘In memory of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We will remember them’
Thousands of people lined Whitehall for the annual event, including a two-minute silence at 11am, while current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was joined by eight former PMs – a record number – to lay wreaths.
Sir Keir hand-wrote a small message to the remembered heroes, saying: ‘To the immortal memory of those who laid down their lives for us all.’
And Kemi Badenoch left a message on her wreath reading: ‘We will never forget the incredible courage and bravery of British servicemen and women, who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms today.’
She added in capital letters: ‘We will always remember them.’
Camilla, 77, pulled out of an Olympic and Paralympic reception at the Palace and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey earlier this week after developing the seasonal respiratory bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa and spa break in India.
Of the Remembrance weekend, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the ‘courage and sacrifice of so many over the generations’ brings the country together on Remembrance Day ‘in a spirit of the most profound gratitude and respect’.
King Charles and Prince William were among those in the capital taking part in a two-minute silence at 11am to honour those who died in conflict
The Princess Royal and The Duke of Edinburgh joined their family in the gesture of respect, saluting towards the cenotaph
Second World War vets Alec Penstone and Mervyn Kersh were among those on Horse Guards Parade ahead of the Royal British Legion march past the Cenotaph today
Military veterans gathered on Whitehall in central London for the Cenotaph service
Poppy wreaths have been carried for the Royal British Legions march past the Cenotaph
And Defence Secretary John Healey said it was a ‘duty’ to ‘educate future generations about their courage and commitment to defending Britain’.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.
It also comes alongside the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.
More than 800 sailors, soldiers and aviators will be on duty on Remembrance Sunday, representing their services at the Cenotaph and at commemorative services at Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.
They included Christian Lamb, 104, who served in the Second World War as a Wren and was the oldest among the number. Alongside her was 101-year-old Joe Randall, of the RAF.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Lamb called it: ‘Unbelievable, so moving.’
She continued: ‘I didn’t remember anybody in particular. I just couldn’t believe it was so extraordinarily moving, that there is all those many people, young creatures mostly, who died there, and there they all were.
‘And we, all these years later, are watching an extraordinary situation and are able to say thank you for their sacrifice, which was so sad.
‘To think there was so many of them. But at least there were a lot of them who came to say thank you. It’s been the most extraordinary experience.’
Just seven D-Day veterans joined this year’s march, with elderly servicemen in wheelchairs.
Source link
