LONDON – King Charles III led the nation on Sunday in a two-minute silence for the workers who died in central London as the Princess of Wales looked on, a sign that the royal family is slowly returning to normalcy at the end of the year. which are two well-known members of the royal family who were sidelined by cancer.
Remembrance Sunday is a totemic event in the UK, where the king leads members of the royal family, political leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his eight living predecessors, and delegates from the Commonwealth of Nations in placing shells at the Cenotaph, the stone monument Portland serves. as a focal point for honoring the country’s dead.
The service is held on the second Sunday of November to commemorate the signing of the armistice to end World War I “at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” in 1918. Across the UK, services are held at the same time. in memory of the dead.
After a two-minute silence, buglers from the Royal Marines played the Last Post and Charles led part of the wreath-laying service.
The 75-year-old monarch, dressed in his Royal Navy uniform as an Admiral of the Fleet, laid a bunch of poppies at the foot of the Cenotaph in honor of those who have fallen in conflict since World War I.
His eldest son and heir to the throne, William, left his own floral tribute – featuring Prince of Wales feathers and a new red Welsh ribbon.
Dressed in all black, his wife, Kate, watched from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, as is customary. Queen Camilla, who used to stand by the princess, was absent as she recovered from a chest attack.
This is the first time since the beginning of the year that Kate has held two consecutive days of official public engagement. On Saturday, he attended the Royal British Legion Festival Of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
After the laying of flowers, around 10,000 veterans, including those who have fought in wars this century, mainly in Afghanistan and Iraq, marched past the Cenotaph. In time, only a few World War II veterans were present.
Charles’ role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces has been a safeguard since the days when the king led his troops into battle. But the connection between the monarchy and the military is still very strong, with service members taking an oath of allegiance to the king and members of the royal family supporting service personnel through charities. Charles and William served in the army before taking up full-time royal duties.
“They show us respect, as we have shown them by serving,” said Victor Needham-Crofton, 91, a military veteran who served during the 1956 Suez Crisis and later in Kenya.
Charles was diagnosed with an undiagnosed cancer in February, forcing him to take a two-month hiatus from the public eye as he focused on his treatment and recovery. A few weeks later, Kate announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer, which sidelined her for most of the year as she underwent chemotherapy.
The king has been in good form in recent months and recently completed a tribute tour to Australia and Samoa. Kate, who made her first public appearance after her diagnosis during the royal birthday party in June, is slowly returning to public activities.
Prince William revealed this week the strain the cancer scare has placed on the royal family.
“I’m proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for managing the things they’ve done,” William told reporters on Thursday as he wrapped up a four-day trip to South Africa. “But from the perspective of a person’s family, it was, yes, brutal.”
While the Cenotaph was the focus of the national memorial service, communities across the UK held their own celebrations on Sunday.
Needham-Crofton, who served with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers before a lorry accident ended his military career, plans to attend a local service in Eastbourne on England’s south coast.
He spent most of his time honoring veterans and trying to help them, including 20 years as a volunteer for the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Like some of his military activities, fundraising was not easy as it involved standing in front of London train stations collecting coins to help support the group’s efforts.
“I like to honor all veterans and do what I can for them,” he told the Associated Press. “It’s really a brotherhood. Even if you don’t know a veteran you meet, you feel a connection with them. That’s very important to me. I will be like that for the rest of my life.”
Source link
