King Charles to lead first Remembrance Day service as nation falls silent to honour war dead 

The nation will fall silent later as the King leads a moving Remembrance Day service for the first time as monarch.

A two-minute silence will take place across the UK at 11am and wreaths will be laid by members of the royal family, senior politicians and faith representatives at the Cenotaph in London.

Parades and services will be held around the country, with Charles taking the lead at the Cenotaph, accompanied by members of the armed forces and leading politicians. 

Charles will lay a new poppy wreath incorporating a ribbon of his racing colours, with the design a tribute to the ones used by both his late mother and his grandfather George VI.

Meanwhile Big Ben will chime eleven times at 11am, as it returns to service after years of maintenance and repair. 

As Charles leads the nation at the Cenotaph for the first time as King, the service will be a poignant moment for the royal family.

In a moving ceremony on Friday, the late Queen and her commitment to war veterans was remembered in an evening attended by members of the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne.

King Charles will attend the London service for the first time as monarch, and lay a wreath with a ribbon of his own racing colours, as well as a tribute to his mother’s colours

Her late Majesty regarded Remembrance Sunday as one of the most important royal duties

The Cenotaph will be covered in wreaths by the end of today’s ceremony, with the royal family and politicians laying the first of many (Pictured: wreaths lie around the Cenotaph after the 2021 ceremony)

As well as serving members of the UK forces, there will be around 10,000 veterans parading past the Cenotaph on Sunday

The Queen, who died nine weeks ago at the age of 96, considered Remembrance Sunday, which commemorates the war dead, one of the most significant and important engagements in the royal calendar.

She first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945 when she was still a princess. 

The nation’s longest-reigning monarch, who lived through the Second World War as a teenager and was head of the armed forces, only missed seven Cenotaph services during her reign, including in 2021 due to a back sprain.

The two-minute silence will end with the Last Post before the wreaths are laid. 

The service will be led by the Lord Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally. She has held the role since 2018. 

A wreath will also be laid on the Queen Consort’s behalf for the first time as Camilla watches from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.

Around 10,000 Royal British Legion veterans, representing 300 different Armed Forces and civilian organisations, will take part in a march past.

The late Queen Elizabeth first laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in 1945, when she was still a Princess

They will be joined by an estimated 10,000 members of the public who will line Whitehall to watch the service.

Among those marching will be 100-year-old Second World War veterans and those who served in recent conflicts including in Afghanistan.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, 400 members of the South Atlantic Medal Association will march past the Cenotaph.

They will also be joined by bereaved family members with the youngest marcher aged eight.

Buckingham Palace has announced the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra will attend the service on Sunday.

In 2017, Charles began placing a wreath on his mother’s behalf as she watched from the Foreign Office balcony.

The change was seen as a subtle shift of head-of-state duties.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ‘This year more than ever, we are reminded of the huge debt of gratitude we owe those who lay down their lives to protect their country.

‘As we fall silent together on Remembrance Sunday, we will honour the memories of the men and women we have lost and pay tribute to the brave soldiers of Ukraine as they continue their fight for freedom.’

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘Remembrance Sunday is a time to reflect upon the sacrifices made by our veterans and service personnel on operations around the world.

‘We must never forget those who gave their lives in defence of our values and our great nation.

‘All of us will also be thinking of those brave Ukrainians who are fighting for their very own survival to defend freedom and democracy for all, just as the UK and Commonwealth soldiers did in both world wars.

‘Today, members of the UK Armed Forces at Cenotaph and around the world will come together to honour all those who came before them.’

The Royal British Legion’s Director of Remembrance, Philippa Rawlinson said: ‘As we come together on Remembrance Sunday, we pay tribute to Her Late Majesty The Queen, The Royal British Legion’s Patron of 70 years and longest serving Commander-in-Chief of the British military.

‘Her Late Majesty was dedicated to duty and epitomised the service and commitment shown by our Armed Forces community, thousands of who will march past the Cenotaph where she laid her wreath each year.

‘Her Late Majesty’s deep bond with the military lives on with His Majesty The King and The Royal Family. Similar Royal British Legion ceremonies will be uniting communities across the nation in Remembrance and today is an opportunity for us all to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of all those who serve, past and present.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, (L) Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales (2L), Britain’s King Charles III (2R) and Britain’s Camilla, Queen Consort (R) attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall

Prince William and King Charles chat fondly while attending the ceremony, which doubled as  a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth

Meanwhile King Charles, the Queen Consort and senior members of the royal family gathered at the Royal Albert Hall to pay their respects at the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on Friday.

The event is one of a series the royals are attending to commemorate the nation’s war dead, ahead of today’s Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

The service doubled as a tribute to the late Queen and her contribution to the cause, as Royal British Legion patron, the longest serving Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces and the former Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor; after rising through the ranks of the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver, mechanic and junior commander.

Her family – and the nation – watched on as archive footage of the former monarch was played at the Royal Albert Hall. 

In one clip, the Queen spoke of the ‘tremendous contribution’ the Armed Forces made to Britain’s ‘standing and reputation’ during her reign. 

‘When Prince Philip and I were married, Britain had just endured six years of war, emerging battered but victorious. 

‘Prince Philip had served with the Royal Navy in the Far East while I was in the ATS learning to drive an ambulance with care. 

‘The wartime generation – my generation – is resilient and it is with humility and pleasure on behalf of the entire country, indeed the whole free world, that I say to you all: thank you.’