She has missed only six other Cenotaph ceremonies during her reign: on four occasions when she was on overseas visits – to Ghana in 1961, Brazil in 1968, Kenya in 1983 and South Africa in 1999 – and in 19, when she was pregnant with her two youngest children. On Saturday, Buckingham Palace had said it was the Queen’s “firm intention” to attend the annual wreath-laying service in Whitehall. The rendition of God Save the Queen during the service was notably loud as the crowds of spectators joined in with gusto. The palace said the Queen had made the decision not to attend “with great regret” and was “disappointed” to miss it. The Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge and Countess of Wessex looked on from another balcony of the FCDO building. The Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal also laid wreaths at the memorial. The Duke of Kent, 86, with his sister Princess Alexandra at his side, stood on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office balcony, leaving a space for the absent Queen. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra leave a space where the Queen would have stood at the service of remembrance in Whitehall on Sunday. The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, stood beside the prime minister and former prime ministers lined up behind Johnson, with John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May all paying their respects. Only the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds could be heard as thousands of people held the two-minute silence at 11am in honour of all those who have died in conflict. Hundreds of forces personnel lined up around the Cenotaph, and nearly 10,000 veterans marched past the war memorial, watched by large crowds. The remembrance service in Whitehall returned to normal this year, after the coronavirus pandemic limited the number of veterans and military and closed the 2020 ceremony to the public. A wreath was laid on her behalf by her son, Charles, the Prince of Wales.īoris Johnson, who left his own wreath, said it was a moment to “come together to remember those who sacrificed everything in service of our country”. Buckingham Palace said there was a late change of plans following her injury.
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