The King will lead the nation in a two-minute silence at the Cenotaph at 11am today, hours after senior royals gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal family at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance on Saturday evening, their first official outing since returning from a tour of the Caribbean. They were joined in the royal box by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The annual festival brings together serving military personnel, veterans and bereaved families for an evening of music, personal testimony and reflection, honouring those who have lost their lives in conflict. This year’s festival marked the 35th anniversary of the end of the First Gulf War and 15 years since the end of British military operations in Iraq under Operation Telic, with veterans sharing their personal stories. Among the readings was a series of letters written by Lieutenant Colonel Caroline Whittaker during her service in Iraq.
The King, who became patron of the Royal British Legion in 2024, was seen standing in the royal box as two members of the Band of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth saluted him after a musical performance. The festival was broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on Saturday.
Today the focus moves to Whitehall for the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph. The King will lay the first wreath, followed by other members of the royal family, political leaders, high commissioners and the heads of the armed forces. The two-minute silence begins at 11am, marked by guns fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery on Horse Guards Parade, followed by the Last Post. A short service of hymns and prayers follows, ending with Reveille and the national anthem.
The service ends at about 11.25am, when the Royal British Legion’s march past begins. Around 10,000 veterans and eligible participants will march down Whitehall past the Cenotaph, with a member of the royal family taking the salute on Horse Guards Road. Whitehall is closed to traffic from 3am to 5.30pm, and the service is broadcast live on BBC One from 10.15am.
Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November, is the United Kingdom’s main day of ceremony for the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth armed forces and civilians in the two world wars and every conflict since. A second two-minute silence will be held at 11am on Armistice Day, Wednesday 11 November.
