The Princess of Wales Wears Catherine Walker for Remembrance Sunday

The Princess of Wales joined other Royal Family members for today’s Remembrance Sunday ceremony. Here, you see her with the Duchess of Edinburgh before the official ceremony gets underway.

The annual commemoration takes place at 11 am. Below, veterans and currently serving members of the military gather at Horse Guards Parade before the ceremony.

A wide shot of the Cenotaph and Whitehall this morning.

The scene 105 years ago. 

A remarkable photograph capturing the first two minutes of silence in London, exactly 105 years ago.

In those moments, the immense burden of personal grief and mourning would have been amplified beyond comprehension. #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/8IUZi5HRty

— Lee Harris (@addicted2newz) November 10, 2024

And a look at the balconies of the Foreign Office, officially the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The Royal Navy lined the streets near the Cenotaph. 

The King, in his Admiral of the Fleet Royal Navy uniform, as he makes his way to the Cenotaph.

The Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh as they watch the ceremony from the FCO balcony. The Queen continues recovering from a chest infection, so the Duchess of Edinburgh stands with the Princess of Wales.

The Duke of Kent and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence (Princess Anne’s husband). 

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 
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 The King with his son, his sister, and his brother as they walk to the Cenotaph.

At 11 am, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired a gun from Horse Guards Parade to begin a two-minute silence.

This was followed by a second gun marking the end of the silence, and buglers from the Royal Marines Band Service played the last post. 

The King then placed a wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph, the national war memorial.

The Telegraph reports, “His wreath closely resembles one produced for King George VI, with 41 paper poppy petals mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, as is traditional for Sovereign’s wreaths, and adorned with a scarlet, purple and gold ribbon and bow. The colours of the ribbon and bow are from the King’s racing silk.” After placing his wreath, the King salutes.

Sky News reports, “Queen Camilla’s wreath, which featured a handwritten tribute, was placed at the Cenotaph on her behalf by her equerry Major Ollie Plunket, of The Rifles.”

The Prince of Wales places his wreath.

The card on the wreath laid by the Prince of Wales. 
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Prince William wore his Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander.

The Duke of Edinburgh wore the Royal Wessex Yeomanry uniform.

It was the Royal Navy uniform in the rank of Admiral for the Princess Royal.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch (left), leader of the Conservative Party, laid wreaths.

Among this year’s dignitaries are eight former Prime Ministers. You see seven of them in this photo. From left to right: Elizabeth Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, and Tony Blair. You can also see London Mayor Sadiq Khan between Mr. Johnson and Ms. May. Not seen in the photo are John Major and Rishi Sunak.

The Massed Bands of the Household Division then played Beethoven’s Funeral March No. 1 in B Flat Minor. The hymn ‘O God our help in ages past’ was sung as wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph.

Veterans had been gathering for hours ahead of their march past the memorial. 

More from Rhiannon Mills of Sky News.

As ex-servicemen and women paraded past the Cenotaph there was applause. The sombre moment of reflection was replaced by a desire from the crowds to recognise and celebrate their service.

Remembrance Sunday is a day where you watch those who have served together, and shared so much, enjoying each other’s company in happier times.

The Chelsea Pensioners. 

Three hundred twenty-six Armed Forces and civilian organizations were represented in today’s marchpast.

This year marks 80 years since the D-Day landings in the Second World War. 

It is also the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo, as well as the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.

In this photo, you can see a veteran accompanied by his PTSD Assistance Dog. 

The BBC’s Sophie Raworth notes there were only 11 veterans from World War II at the Cenotaph this year. 

Just 11 World War 2 veterans at the Cenotaph this year. Here are 7 of them, including 104 year old Christian Lamb who mapped the Normandy beaches for D-Day troops from right here in Whitehall. It was her first time in the March past. pic.twitter.com/6SuBh7PZdk

— sophieraworth (@sophieraworth) November 10, 2024

 As veterans march past, many hand off wreaths to be laid at the memorial. 

In this image, you can see how many wreaths were laid. 

Members of civilian organizations as they marched past the memorial.

Thoughts on today’s ceremony from The Telegraph’s coverage. 

As the wreath laying finished, and the Bishop of London delivered a short address, the crowds joined in to chant the Lord’s Prayer.

God Save the King rang out, the Royal family singing heartily from the balcony. As that part of the service concluded, the King departed followed by his elder son and two siblings.

The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh turned to walk back inside, the Duchess placing a hand on the Princesses’ back as they went.

There were ceremonies throughout the UK. Below, you see the RAF Pipes and Drums in today’s Remembrance Parade through the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Representatives from the Royal Air Force, British Army, and Royal Navy laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in Belfast. 

Prince William “took the salute” this year as troops marched past. On the left is the Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon John Healey MP.

The Duchess of Edinburgh was in a Valentino dress, the Draped Cowl Neck style, with a Jane Taylor hat and earrings by Garrard, per UFO No More. The Court Jeweller reports she “…wore the badge of the Royal Irish Regiment. She was appointed to serve as their Colonel-in-Chief in August 2023.”   Now for our look at what Kate wore for today’s ceremony.

The Princess brought back a Catherine Walker coat which was first noted on Remembrance Sunday 2020. You can see the piece has been updated: the fringe has been removed from the shoulders, and the buttons have been replaced. A velvet bow has been added at the collar.

You may remember the coat was worn in September 2022 when the Prince and Princess visited a military training center to thank Commonwealth troops taking part in the late Queen’s State Funeral.

Here, you see it as worn on all three occasions.

The Princess wore a new hat today, a piece by Juliette Botterill Millinery, the Flower and Feather Teardrop Hat. As the name suggests, the style features a teardrop-shaped base with feathers and flowers. It looks like the Princess had a birdcage mourning veil added to the design. Carly at Kate Middleton Style reports the design is from the milliner’s Autumn/Winter 2020 collection.

Thanks also to Royal Fashion Police, as well as UFO No More and Mirelabeleva for their information on the hat. 

UPDATE NOV 12: I forgot to include the gloves worn by the Princess on Sunday, the Alice Merino Wool style ($221) by Cornelia James. 

The Princess carried her Mulberry Bayswater clutch in black suede. 

She wore the Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings that belonged to the late Queen. The name reflects the pearls’ origin: they were part of a wedding gift from the ruler of Bahrain to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding.

She also wore the brooch of the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, a nod to her role as the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief.

The Princess was named to that role in September 2023, and the brooch was presented to her during her visit to the regiment in November 2023. We first saw the Princess wearing the brooch at last year’s Festival of Remembrance. 

The pin was originally created for the Queen Mother in 1959. She served as the regiment’s Colonel in Chief until her death in 2002. Here you see her wearing the brooch in 1985.
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For those curious about the number of poppies worn by the Princess, the following is from a Remembrance post a few years back, but it still applies: “There is always speculation about the number of poppies worn by the Duchess and any significance attached to that number. Here are theories about that number as detailed in this Grazia story: 

Some theories suggest each poppy stands for a different branch of the military. Others say that it’s just easier to see a large clump of flowers than a singular one. And a third theory speculates that she might wear the poppy trio to honor her great-grandmother’s three brothers who died during World War I.

More about the poppies tradition via this Imperial War Museum piece. 

The poppy is the enduring symbol of remembrance of the First World War. It is strongly linked with Armistice Day (11 November), but the poppy’s origin as a popular symbol of remembrance lies in the landscapes of the First World War.

Poppies were a common sight, especially on the Western Front. They flourished in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling. The flower provided Canadian doctor John McCrae with inspiration for his poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, which he wrote whilst serving in Ypres in 1915. It was first published in Punch, having been rejected by The Spectator. In 1918, in response to McCrae’s poem, American humanitarian Moina Michael wrote ‘And now the Torch and Poppy Red, we wear in honor of our dead…’. She campaigned to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance of those who had died in the war.

The poem. 

I’ll leave you with one more photo of the Princess at today’s ceremony. 

NOTE: Last night’s Festival of Remembrance post is updated with ID information on last night’s dress. Here is a hint.

VIDEOS: 

You can see King George V unveiling the Cenotaph in 1920 in this short (40-second) video.

King George V unveils the Cenotaph before laying a wreath. He is joined by Prime Minister Lloyd George. Armistice Day, 1920.

© IWM (IWM 505) pic.twitter.com/6TFTzi5OeR

— Imperial War Museums (@I_W_M) November 11, 2023

 The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport offers 30 minutes of coverage in this video. 

 The Telegraph has almost three hours of coverage in this video.