Remembrance Day LIVE: Royals’ tears for proud veterans at the Cenotaph after those killed in conflict are honoured

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham lay a wreath during his city’s Remembrance Sunday service today.

Services took place across the country as people paid their respects to those who bravely fought for their country.

Rabbi Daniel Walker, of the recently attacked Heaton Park Synagogue, delivered a speech on behalf of Manchester’s Jewish Community during the service this morning.

Dozens of senior MPs and former Prime Ministers made an appearance at the Remembrance Sunday service today to pay their respects to the fallen.

Keir Starmer’s deputy David Lammy, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle were among those who attended the service.

Eight former prime ministers – Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – also stood near the Cenotaph as King Charles led the memorial service.

The Government will offer support for Second World War veterans to travel overseas to commemorative events to help them ‘remember, reconnect and pay their respects’, it has said.

In an announcement on Remembrance Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said it recognises the ‘profound importance’ of enabling those who had served in the conflict to pay their respects at sites where they fought and their comrades had fallen.

It comes ahead of the publication of the Government’s Veterans Strategy on Monday, which will outline plans for celebrating veterans and recognising them as a strategic national asset.

Jack Mortimer, from Leeds, who served as a corporal with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps during war and landed on Sword Beach on D-Day in 1944, said he is ‘grateful’ for the new support.

The 102-year-old said: ‘Going back to Normandy means everything to those of us who are still here.

‘It’s where we lost so many good men, and it’s important that we can pay our respects to the friends who never came home.

‘At my age, these journeys aren’t easy, but they matter more than anything.

‘This support from the Government will help veterans like me make that trip whilst we still can.

‘We owe it to our comrades to be there, to remember them where they fell. I’m very grateful for this commitment.’

Victoria Starmer enjoyed a conversation with the wives of former Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Tony Blair.

Mrs Starmer – the wife of current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – laughed with Akshata Murty and Cherie Blair as they attended the Remembrance Sunday service in central London.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans took part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past in London after the service led by King Charles.

Crowds lining the streets of Whitehall applauded the marchers, who were accompanied by music played by the Massed Bands of the Household Division and the combined bands of the Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, with many participants wearing medals.

Some of the marchers, including several Chelsea Pensioners, were pushed in wheelchairs while others travelled on mobility scooters.

Thousands of veterans have started their annual Royal British Legion’s march-past, marking 80 years since World War Two ended in 1945.

Three D-Day veterans were among the Second World War personnel in attendance at Whitehall.

Henry Rice, a former signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day, and Mervyn Kersh who arrived in Normandy aged 19, three days after the start of the D-Day invasion, were among those in attendance today.

Sid Machin, one of the six 101-year-olds registered to march, was also present. He is one of the last surviving ‘Chindit’ soldiers from the Second World War’s Burma campaign.

As a young man of about 19, Mr Machin landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit in Burma (now Myanmar), which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.

Members of the royal family were applauded as they entered the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building after the national anthem was sung at the Cenotaph.

Ripples of applause rang out in the crowd as Charles made his way inside, followed by the Prince of Wales.

The Queen and the Princess of Wales were seen speaking quietly at different points during the Remembrance Sunday service, while the Duchess of Edinburgh appeared to smile as the applause took place.

Queen Camilla appeared to say something to the Princess of Wales behind her order of service as they stood on the balcony for today’s Remembrance Sunday service.

The pair appeared in high spirits after they watched the service from a slight distance, as King Charles and Prince William laid wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other senior politicians laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in central London to honour the nation’s war dead.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle were among the other political figures who laid floral tributes during the Remembrance Sunday service.

Standing close to the Cenotaph were eight former prime ministers: Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

First Minister of Scotland John Swinney marked the occasion at a Remembrance Sunday service in Edinburgh, laying a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers.

King Charles just led a two-minute silence at the Cenotaph in central London for Remembrance Sunday.

He then placed his wreath at the foot of the memorial before saluting those who gave their lives in battle.

The monarch was followed by his eldest son Prince William, who placed a wreath at the Cenotaph shortly after his father.

Veterans of the Second World War have been applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the annual Royal British Legion’s march-past, including about three D-Day veterans among the 20 Second World War veterans marking 80 years since the conflict ended in 1945.

Around a dozen people wearing military uniforms and poppies were pushed in wheelchairs in Whitehall while respectful applause rang out near the Cenotaph and one of the veterans saluted.

Among those set to march is 101-year-old Donald Poole, a Royal Army Ordnance Corps technician who handled defective explosives or enemy ammunition.

Originally from Bromley, Kent, he was serving in India in 1945 when Japan’s surrender was announced, sparking an impromptu celebration.

He said: ‘It is a great honour to be able to pay tribute to the poor souls who have died in all conflicts and I know how lucky I am to still be here thanks to all those who have fought and served, past and present.

‘I also want to pay tribute to the civilian services who suffered during the Second World War, particularly the fire service, who saved so many lives during the Blitz – many of whom lost their own.’

The Princess of Wales waved as she arrived in central London for today’s Remembrance Sunday.

Catherine’s husband Prince William is also set to attend alongside his father King Charles, who will lead the service in a two-minute silence at 11am.

Kate looked elegant in a black hat and jacket, which she paired with stylish drop earrings.

The Band of the Royal Marines just marched on Whitehall ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London.

Sir Keir has stepped out with his wife Victoria Starmer for the service of remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall today.

Politicians have started turning up at London’s Remembrance Sunday service on Whitehall this morning, including Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan.

Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy David Lammy also looked in high spirits as he made an appearance.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past through Whitehall today, alongside around 20 World War Two veterans.

Many arrived near the Cenotaph in central London this morning, hours ahead of the service as they prepared to pay their respects to those who courageously fought for their country.

Sir Keir Starmer has taken to X to pay tribute to those who ‘served and sacrificed for our country’.

It comes after the Prime Minister released a statement ahead of today’s commemorations, in which he said: ‘This Remembrance Sunday, we pause as a nation to honour all those who have served our country.

‘We reflect on the extraordinary courage of our armed forces in the world wars and subsequent conflicts, whose service secured the freedoms we cherish today.

‘Eighty years since the end of the Second World War, we remember a generation who stood against tyranny and shaped our future. Their legacy is peace and our duty is to protect it.

‘Such sacrifice deserves more than silence, which is why this Government remains committed to supporting veterans, their families and those who serve.

‘Today, we remember, and we renew our promise to uphold the values they fought for.’

Veterans gathered in London this morning ahead of the Royal British Legion’s March past the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday.

Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) veterans looked in high spirits as they posed for a photograph in their uniforms ahead of the service.

People arrived early on Whitehall this morning ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London.

Some dressed up in Union Jack and poppy-themed outfits to pay their respects.

King Charles will lead the nation in a two-minute silence at 11am to remember those who died in conflict.

The monarch will lay a wreath at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, where he will be joined by other senior royals and politicians including Sir Keir Starmer.

Services will also take place across the country to honour the fallen, with this year’s Armistice Day marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past through Whitehall, alongside about 20 Second World War veterans.

Last night, Charles appeared visibly moved by a heartfelt rendition of God Save the King at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance.

‘If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England.’

That, as generations of Britons have come to know, is the tingling opening line to Rupert Brooke’s The Soldier, which he wrote in the early days of the First World War.

Now, 107 years on from the end of the devastating conflict, Brooke’s verses and those of dozens of other acclaimed war poets have been paired with hugely moving images that reveal two different sides to the war.

The painstakingly restored photos, from the archive of the Daily Mail, were taken both on the Western Front and back in Britain, where millions of women took up vital jobs that had been vacated by men who had been sent to fight.

Read the full Daily Mail article here: