Prince George joined the King, Queen and Princess of Wales at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening. The crowd stood as the family entered to a fanfare by trumpeters and took their seats in the royal box.
Kate, wearing a black dress with a white collar by Alessandra Rich, an HMS Glasgow brooch and earrings belonging to the late Queen, was seated next to her son. Her dress featured a handmade poppy created from silk, glass and other natural materials by Izzy Ager of Lock and Co, a recent graduate of the Royal School of Needlework.
Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer were seen taking their seats shortly before the royal family arrived. The festival, hosted by Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and marked the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel serving openly in the armed forces.
Performances included Sir Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder and Keala Settle, with music by the Central Band of the RAF, the RAF Squadronaires and the Band of HM Royal Marines. Kate was seen speaking to George and pointing things out as Sir Rod performed Sentimental Journey. George shuffled in his seat between performances and watched intently as emotional videos of veterans played.
Waddingham performed We’ll Meet Again and spoke of her veteran grandfather’s courage. Veterans in attendance included those who helped plan D-Day, former prisoners of war and survivors of direct hits at sea. The Prince of Wales was absent, travelling back from the Cop30 UN Climate Change summit in Belem.
The King, announced as a patron of the Royal British Legion last year, will lead the nation in a two-minute silence at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Sunday. The festival will be broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on Saturday.
