Princess Kate marks royal first at moving Armistice Day service

The Princess of Wales wore a military-inspired black coat, a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a bow, and two poppies

The Princess of Wales spearheaded the nation’s solemn observance of Armistice Day on Tuesday, leading a poignant two-minute silence in tribute to the fallen.

Standing in quiet contemplation alongside veterans at the Armed Forces Memorial in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Kate honoured the war dead before laying a wreath in remembrance of those who died.

This marked the first occasion the future Queen had attended the Arboretum’s Armistice Day service and personally laid a wreath.

She wore a military-inspired black coat, a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a bow, and two poppies.

Across the country, services commemorated the anniversary of the end of the First World War, with the traditional 11am silence observed to honour all who have died in military conflicts.

Kate laid a wreath honouring the war dead at the National Memorial Arboretum (PA)

Meanwhile, Queen Camilla participated in Great Western Railway’s “Poppies to Paddington” initiative, joining commuters on a train journey from Chippenham to London Paddington station.

The 9.28am service from Wiltshire was part of the scheme in which wreaths are transported on early-morning trains to Paddington station for a dedicated service.

After her journey, Camilla placed a wreath of poppies at the war memorial on platform one at Paddington, before the Last Post was sounded to mark the start of the two-minute silence.

At the National Memorial Arboretum, Kate was handed a wreath to lay in the centre of the memorial.

Watched by the crowd, which included veterans and their families, she stepped forward to lay the large ring of poppies before appearing to take a moment of reflection and then returning to her seat.

She bowed her head as the crowd prayed for those who had been affected by conflict, including members of the armed forces and civilians.

The Armed Forces Memorial pictured ahead of the Service of Remembrance (PA)

After the service, the princess visited the memorial wall, where she was introduced to Squadron Leader Beth Long and her daughters Scarlett and Sophie – the family of Squadron Leader Mark Long, who flew with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and died when the Spitfire he was flying crashed in 2024.

Long’s name is the most recent to be engraved on the wall.

Kate spoke to the family for around five minutes before meeting Bosnia veteran Johnny Hayes, who spent 23 years in the Royal Military Police.

The princess held on to her hat in the breeze as she made her way down the steps and away from the memorial. She was met by Hayley Lawrence, a Royal Army Medical Corps veteran, and Steve Cartwright, a Royal Engineers veteran, and chatted to them as she walked back to the main buildings.

During their chat, she touched Mr Cartwright’s arm and laughed with the pair before she waved and smiled at the crowd, who took photographs as she passed by.

The Princess of Wales attends the annual Armistice Day Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire (Reuters)

Elsewhere, in Edinburgh, members of the public bowed their heads in silence as they gathered despite the rain during an Armistice Day event in the Garden of Remembrance at the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens.

In central London, the Western Front Association led commemorations at the Cenotaph, where members paraded to the monument to pay their respects.

In St Mary’s Church in Dover, Kent, a cascade of knitted poppies flowed down from the top of the church, covering part of the historic building in a blanket of the scarlet flowers.

A video message from the Prince of Wales was played to children across the UK as part of the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance assembly on Tuesday morning. William told the pupils about the importance of wearing a red poppy, saying that “Remembrance is for everyone”.