Princess Kate and Queen Camilla paid their respects at the national Remembrance Sunday service today in London, standing side by side as they looked on at King Charles and Prince William’s tributes
Queen Camilla and Princess Kate stood side by side during an emotional Remembrance Sunday event this morning in London, and there’s a key change in their roles this year.
Kate was wrapped up in a black coat and matching hat as she watched the proceedings from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, overlooking the Cenotaph. She looked visibly moved by the service as thousands of veterans came together to pay their respects to those who have been lost in conflict.
Usually, the princess wears three poppies pinned to her jacket, but this year she wore one large flower. Camilla, who was forced to miss last year’s event due to a chest infection, wore three poppies. Last year, Kate was the highest-ranked royal on the balconies, due to the Queen’s absence. But as Camilla returned to her rightful place this year, she resumed her role in leading members of the Firm from up high.
READ MORE: Remembrance Sunday LIVE: King leads nation in silence as sombre Kate watches onREAD MORE: Sophie Wessex in tears at Remembrance event as she supports newly widowed DukeREAD MORE: Key royal misses out on Remembrance Sunday service as surprise absence explained
The Queen and the Princess of Wales, both dressed in black, sang the national anthem together on the balcony. They were joined in a rousing rendition of the anthem as all those at the Cenotaph joined in at the end of the Remembrance service.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Edinburgh was in tears at today’s moving scenes. Sophie stood alongside the recently widowed Duke of Kent on a balcony overlooking the Cenotaph. As her husband Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh saluted and laid his wreath the memorial, emotional Sophie was seen wiping a tear from her eye.
King Charles lead the nation in a two-minute silence to honour those who lost their lives in conflict. Charles, along with his son Prince William, laid a wreath at the Cenotaph. The King appeared to have tears in his eyes as the nation fell silent to remember those we have lost. A volley from a gun fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from nearby Horse Guards Parade, signalling the start of the two minutes of silent reflection, with another marking its end.
Royal fans watching the moving ceremony at home will have noticed that one major royal, who is usually an ever-present at the service laying a wreath, was missing.
Princess Anne did not join her brothers, the King and Prince Edward, at the national war memorial on Whitehall and was nowhere to be seen at the ceremony. And her absence has been explained as she is currently on a tour of Australia and Singapore with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
However, earlier today, she attended a Remembrance Service and laid a wreath at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, during her visit to celebrate the Centenary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, as Colonel-in-Chief.
Anne’s visit Down Under was announced several weeks ago. Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time: “The Princess will undertake a series of military engagements in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane during the four-day visit to commemorate the centenary. As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Her Royal Highness will lay a wreath at the Sydney War Cemetery.”
