The Princess of Wales is set to today lead the nation alongside the King and the Prince of Wales in remembering Britain’s war dead on Remembrance Sunday.
Charles will be among those in the capital taking part in a two-minute silence at 11am to honour those who died in conflict, with similar events taking place nationwide – as hundreds of emotional veterans this morning gathered at the Cenotaph.
And Princess Kate is in line to carry out her second consecutive day of royal duties for the first time since it was revealed earlier this year she was being treated for cancer.
She is expected to watch today’s Whitehall event from above, on the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office balcony in central London.
Last night she attended the Festival of Remembrance ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall, alongside her husband William.
Second World War vets Alec Penstone and Mervyn Kersh were among those on Horse Guards Parade ahead of the Royal British Legion march past the Cenotaph today
The Prince and Princess of Wales attended Saturday night’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London ahead of today’s commemorations
Also there was King Charles, who leads the nation in tribute to Britain’s war dead today
Military veterans have gathered on Whitehall in central London for the Cenotaph service
Poppy wreaths have been carried for the Royal British Legions march past the Cenotaph
Members of the royal family will, together with senior politicians, lay wreaths during the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph to mark the Armistice of the First World War and all other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.
The Royal British Legion’s veteran parade is expected to involved 10,000 veterans, representing 326 different armed forces and civilian organisations, marching past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.
And thousands of people are anticipated to line Whitehall for the annual event, including a two-minute silence at 11am, while current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will be joined by seven former PMs to lay wreaths.
Meanwhile, Michelle O’Neill is facing a furious backlash across the political divide in Northern Ireland over her decision to become the first Sinn Fein leader to attend a Remembrance Sunday event.
Ms O’Neill will lay a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph in Belfast this morning in her role as First Minister, alongside DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo.
It also comes alongside the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the UK and France.
More than 800 sailors, soldiers and aviators will be on duty on Remembrance Sunday, representing their services at the Cenotaph and at commemorative services at Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.
Kate, 42, has made just a handful of public appearances so far in 2024, after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January and then was diagnosed with cancer.
People have been massing near the Monument to the Women of World War II in London
Veterans and dignities gather at the Cenotaph ahead of the national service of commemoration for those lost to war, this morning in central London
The Princess of Wales, pictured with her husband the Prince of Wales, is seen attending last night’s Festival of Remembrance ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall
Veterans have been gathering along Whitehall in central London this morning for this year’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations
Chelsea Pensioners were today seen standing on nearby Westminster Bridge in London
Crowds have been flocked to the centre of the capital to honour Britain’s war dead today
The King, who is expected to take part in today’s National Service of Remembrance, is seen here laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in central London on November 12 last year
In a video the princess released in September, she revealed she had finished her chemotherapy treatment, and spoke of how she was ‘looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months’.
The King, who received a standing ovation and applause upon entering the Royal Albert Hall last night, was sitting next to the Princess Royal.
But the Queen was absent from the Festival and is also due to miss today Cenotaph ceremony to ensure she makes a full recovery from a chest infection, and to protect others from any risk.
Camilla, 77, pulled out of an Olympic and Paralympic reception at the Palace and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey earlier this week after developing the seasonal respiratory bug following her long-haul tour to Australia and Samoa and spa break in India.
Of the Remembrance weekend, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the ‘courage and sacrifice of so many over the generations’ brings the country together on Remembrance Day ‘in a spirit of the most profound gratitude and respect’.
And Defence Secretary John Healey said it was a ‘duty’ to ‘educate future generations about their courage and commitment to defending Britain’.
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ‘people of all ages’ will be among those marching today – from bereaved military children of the Scotty’s Little Soldiers charity through to D-Day veterans of the Spirit of Normandy Trust.
Thousands of veterans were this morning lining up in the middle of Whitehall as they prepare to take part in the Royal British Legion’s march past the Cenotaph.
A military band performed as it marched at the Parliament Square end of the central London street.