The King and Queen led senior royals at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this evening, with the Prince and Princess of Wales joining them in the royal box.
Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, attended alongside the Princess Royal and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, for the Royal British Legion event. Prince George was not present this year, having attended for the first time in 2025 with his mother; the 13-year-old began at Eton College in September.
Royal Dress and Attendance
Most guests wore black for the evening, including the Queen and the Princess of Wales. The King and Prince William instead wore navy blue suits, the King's with pinstripes and the Prince's without, each with Remembrance poppies on their lapels.
The festival reflected on those who served in operations in Bosnia, the Gulf War and the Iraq War, with personal stories recalling the 'Blueys' - light-blue airmail letters sent home to loved ones.
Theme and Upcoming Cenotaph Service
This year's theme was Places of Remembrance, exploring how places associated with those lost can hold personal meaning. The event came ahead of the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph tomorrow morning, where the King, patron of the Royal British Legion and recently returned from his Caribbean tour, will lead a two-minute silence.
Charles and Prince William will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph alongside Princess Anne and Prince Edward. The King's wreath will be mounted on black leaves, traditional for the sovereign, bearing his racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold. A wreath on behalf of Camilla, laid by her equerry, will bear her racing colours inherited from her father, while William's wreath will feature the Prince of Wales feather and a ribbon in Welsh red.
Camilla, Kate, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent will watch from the Foreign Office balcony. Earlier this week, the Duchess of Gloucester opened the 98th Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on behalf of the Queen, planting a cross before the Last Post was sounded and meeting service personnel and their families.
