Queen Elizabeth and Kate Middleton.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty
Queen Elizabethmay have recently been told toease upon her typically hectic schedule, but the 95-year-old monarch has a commitment this Sunday she absolutely does not want to miss.
The National Service of Remembrance, otherwise known asRemembrance Sunday, is the culmination point of a four-day period when the royal family and the British public come together to honor those who have died in conflict since World War I.
The royals are “completely embedded,” in the annual rituals,A Century of Remembranceauthor Laura clouting tells PEOPLE.
“The Queen still lays a wreath every year — albeit throughPrince Charlesthese days,” says Clouting. “There is a very special, intimate connection with the military.”
Prince William and Prince Harry.Karwai Tang/WireImage
It’s thought that her collection of small red flowers — which became a popular motif of remembrance after WWI — represent each of the services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence), with the fifth representing women.
Prince Charles, meanwhile, has been laying the Queen’s wreath at The Cenotaph since 2017, alongside his own wreath bearing white flowers in the shape of the Prince of Wales feathers.
Prince Charles.ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Prince William,Princess AnneandPrince Edwardare the only other senior royals to now lay wreaths at the monument, which bears the inscription “The Glorious Dead.”
“The Royal Family is showing gratitude for the loss of life basically occurring in their name — certainly in the name of the Sovereign as the head of state,” notes Clouting, who is referencing the British military oath to “faithfully defend Her Majesty.”
She adds, “Remembrance is very, very personal for them.”
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Westminster Abbey.Geoff Pugh/Getty
Until they stepped back from royal duties,Prince HarryandMeghan Marklewere also involved in the royals' Remembrance activities. They laid miniature wooden crosses carrying personal messages at theField of Remembranceoutside Westminster Abbey in 2019.
Harry wore the black frock coat of his old army regiment, the Blues and Royals, to the event which sees more than 100,000 small wooden crosses laid outside the historic Abbey every year, each one carrying a personal message in honor of a fallen service person.
Despite its location, all the major faiths of Britain are also represented (as they are throughout Remembrance) as a mark of respect to the diverse beliefs and backgrounds of the men and women who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Baha’í, Spiritualist, Mormon and Humanist.
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This year’s period of remembrance will see one notable change from previous years — with the Queen following herdoctors' advice to take things easy, she will not attend the musical Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall in Kensington on Saturday.
But, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace on October 29: “It remains The Queen’s firm intention to be present for the National Service of Remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on 14th November.”
source: people.com
