His Majesty King Charles III led the nation in a profoundly moving Remembrance Sunday service, standing before the Cenotaph in London to honour the British and Commonwealth servicemen and women who have died in conflicts since the First World War.
The annual ceremony drew thousands of war veterans to Whitehall, creating a sea of poppies and military uniforms. Among the attendees were three D-Day veterans, their presence a poignant reminder of the immense sacrifices made during the Second World War.
A Royal and Political Tribute
The 76-year-old monarch, wearing the Field Marshal uniform with a ceremonial frock coat, laid the first wreath in recognition of the fallen. After leading the nation in a two-minute silence, he saluted the monument before stepping back.
He was followed by his son, Prince William, the Prince of Wales. Dressed in his Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander, William also laid a wreath and offered a salute. His commitment to the armed forces is well-established, having completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time operational military service in 2013.
The political establishment was also out in force. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer laid a floral tribute, alongside senior politicians and representatives from the Commonwealth. In a remarkable display of national unity, eight former prime ministers stood near the Cenotaph: Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak.
Ceremonial Observance and Veteran Stories
The solemn wreath-laying ceremony was preceded by the two-minute silence, observed not only in the heart of Whitehall but at war memorials across the entire country. The silence was broken by a single gunshot, followed by the haunting sound of the Last Post, played by the Buglers of the Royal Marines.
Watching the service from a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office were the Princess of Wales and the Queen, both dressed in black. They were joined by other members of the royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
The event was deeply personal for the veterans in attendance. Among them was Henry Rice, a former signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day, and Mervyn Kersh, who landed in Normandy aged 19, just three days after the D-Day invasion began. Also present was Sid Machin, one of the last surviving "Chindit" soldiers from the Burma campaign, who landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night as a young man.
As the ceremony concluded with the national anthem, King Charles departed to applause from the crowd, with Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales smiling from the balcony, marking the end of a powerful national act of remembrance.
