On Saturday, members of the Royal Family attended the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, to commemorate men and women who have given their lives whilst serving in the armed forces. The event is hosted by the Royal British Legion.
It is the first time a large gathering of Royals have been seen together since Trooping the Colour earlier in the Summer.
Members of the Royal Family attend 2024’s Festival of Remembrance. (Royal Family).
The family were sat in the royal box for the service.
The King sat on front row, with The Princess Royal sitting next to him. The Queen had to pull out of attending tonight due to a chest infection. Earlier today, Buckingham Palace said that ‘following doctors’ guidance to ensure a full recovery from a seasonal chest infection’, with ‘great disappointment’ The Queen would not be attending. She will be marking Remembrance weekend privately at home.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were seated next to Charles and Anne on the front row. The Princess of Wales’ attendance was confirmed on Friday by Buckingham Palace, as she continues to recover from undergoing treatment for cancer. HRH will also attend the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph, making it the first time since the beginning of the year that she has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements following her surgery and later went public with her cancer diagnosis.
Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and The Duke of Kent were all sat in the rows behind.
The Princess of Wales attended this year’s Festical of Remembrance. (IMAGE: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace – Flickr)
The Royals were joined by Secretary of State for Defence and the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.
Hosted by Adrian Lester, music artists included Sir Tom Jones, Jack Savoretti, Alexandra Burke, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Samantha Barks and Jake Isaac. The Central Band of the Royal Air Force and The Bands of HM Royal Marines created inspiring displays of military music.
Muster as Poppy’s Fall at the Festival of Remembrance. (Defence Imagery)
The Festival celebrated the men and women who fought in World War Two in 1944, commemorating those who fought on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign, in Italy at Monte Cassino and Kohima and Imphal in East Asia.
There were also stories from those that fought in Afghanistan, a focus on the work the Royal Air Force are doing training Ukrainian pilots and a celebration of the children of those that serve in the armed forces.
