- On Remembrance Sunday, the King led the nation in honoring war dead.
- A two-minute silence was conducted across the country at 11:00 GMT. After his mother’s death, King Charles laid a wreath at London’s Cenotaph for the first time as monarch.
- More than 100 Falklands veterans have returned to the UK for Armistice Day commemorations.
On Remembrance Sunday, the King led the nation in honoring war dead. A two-minute silence was conducted across the country at 11:00 GMT.
Big Ben chimed 11 times as military veterans watched.
After his mother’s death, King Charles put a wreath at London’s Cenotaph for the first time as monarch.
Other royals, including the Prince of Wales, Earl of Wessex, and Princess Royal, also lay wreaths.
People had flocked to Westminster earlier in the morning under gloomy skies to participate in or watch the Remembrance Sunday ceremony.
Veterans outnumbered those wearing military attire by a wide margin. They had shiny shoes, medals on their chests, a considerable number of berets, and straighter backs than you typically see in this region.
There is a special tie of devotion to country and comradeship everywhere in the conversation among these veterans, which is a quiet rumble of introspection, jokes, and regimental rivalry.
There were many similarities between this place today and when it first opened, including the music, flags, prayers, and wreath after wreath of red poppies against the grey stone.
But one thing was different, and that difference was on many people’s minds: the King presided over this ceremony, which the late Queen attended into her nineties and held a special place in her heart.
After the Royal Family’s wreath and those of the politicians, ambassadors, and military leaders had been laid side by side, the veterans’ march past started.
The wreath ring that encircles the Cenotaph’s base acts as a covering for the road below.
And while those who served were remembered and treated with respect, the throng that lined Whitehall in some areas cheered.
After the passing of the late Queen, according to Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Remembrance Sunday was even more poignant.
“She represented duty and service, but also the dignity of that generation throughout the war and everything they gave up for our freedom,” he said.
“And I think there’s the additional poignancy that once again we have war in Europe.”
Simon Weston, a veteran of the Falklands War who sustained severe burns when his ship was bombed, told the media that Remembrance Sunday’s public commemoration of deceased service members and their families was crucial.
Because even if we don’t conquer, what we accomplish is prevent individuals from being able to commit evil in the manner that they were, he continued, “all these people need to know that the stress and agony that they went through when people moved away is meaningful and what they did was worthwhile.”
Beaver Scouts from the Wimbledon and Wandle Scout District, some of the service’s youngest participants, delivered a wreath to be placed at the Cenotaph.
Erin, seven, told the media it was a huge honor to be representing the Scout Association this year. “I was happy that I was here,” she said.
A commemorative service and procession were scheduled for Sunday in Stanley, the capital, with more than 100 Falklands War veterans and family members of those who lost their lives in the conflict participating as well.
Many of the veterans were making an emotional return to the Falklands for the first time since the war with Argentina began in 1982 when they travelled the 8,000 mile (12,900 kilometer) distance on a special flight organized by the Ministry of Defense.
Veterans have visited the battlefields where British forces fought over the previous few days, along with mothers, wives, and children of those who died. Some of them sobbed and laid crosses at cemeteries for fallen friends and family members.
The annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance was held at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, and members of the Royal Family were there.
The UK observed Armistice Day with a moment of silence on Friday to remember the 1918 Armistice that put an end to World War One.
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