On Sunday morning, Kate Middleton captured everyone’s attention as she stood on the Foreign Office balcony with the Duchess of Cornwall and Sophie Wessex to pay respect to the dead soldiers.
The Duchess of Cambridge dressed in a black Alexander McQueen coat with red epaulets, a white-collar, and silver buttons, as she did for her 2018 service. The Royal British Legion sells a poppy for £20.
Camilla chose a black gown with pearls around her neck and a feathery headpiece.
At the Whitehall War Memorial, Prince William and Prince Charles placed wreaths. Prince Charles, who turned 73 on Sunday, put two wreaths, one in his and Camilla’s names, and one in his mother’s honor.
The memorial service was mainly devoid of Queen Elizabeth II, whose attendance had been confirmed by the Palace on Thursday. Doctors reportedly recommended she stay at home and have family members represent her at the event at the last minute.
The queen is “very saddened,” according to the Daily Mail, that she would be unable to attend Memorial Sunday, which she regards as one of the most significant engagements of the year.
The Queen, as the head of the British Armed Forces, places a high value on remembering the sacrifices made by the troops and women who perished during the war. He was only absent from this work six times during his nearly 70-year reign, either because he was traveling abroad or because the advanced duty prevented him from participating.
Throughout November, the Royal Family wears poppies on their chests as a symbol of memory. Poppies have been used as a sign of remembering since 1921, according to the Royal Central, because they flourished up on battlefields after the First World War ended. Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Field was inspired by the flowers he observed blooming after the Second Battle of Ypres.
The queen wears five poppies on her chest, for which she has never given an official reason. The Duchess of Cambridge wears three poppies, which are thought to symbolize the three branches of the British Army – Army, Naval Forces, and Air Force – but to which she added a little brooch, likewise in the shape of a poppy, in 2018 and 2021.