The Duchess of Edinburgh has paid tribute to fallen cavalry soldiers during a solemn parade and memorial service held in Hyde Park on Sunday morning.
Royal Colonel Leads Tributes
Sophie, serving as the Royal Colonel of the Queen's Own Yeomanry, wore the regiment's distinctive running fox cap badge as she participated in the event. The ceremony, organized by the Combined Cavalry Old Comrades Association, commemorates members of the UK and Commonwealth cavalry regiments who lost their lives in the First World War and subsequent conflicts.
Wreath Laying at Cavalry Memorial
The duchess laid wreaths at the Cavalry of the Empire Memorial, a monument unveiled 102 years ago. Both active and former soldiers from Regular Cavalry and Yeomanry regiments marched in the parade. Representatives from Commonwealth nations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, and South Africa were also in attendance. The Indian Cavalry Association, though disbanded, was represented by their banner during the march.
Open Air Church Service
Following the parade, the duchess attended an open-air church service at the Bandstand, conducted by the Chaplain General Reverend Michael Parker. The Cavalry of the Empire Memorial, originally inaugurated at Stanhope Gate in 1924 by Field Marshal John French, Earl of Ypres, was relocated to its current position in 1961. The statue, cast from metal obtained from enemy guns captured by the Cavalry during the First World War, depicts St George, the patron saint of cavalry regiments.
