Kate Middleton and Prince William join The Queen for Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall
Leading members of the royal family watched performances in honour of those who gave their lives in the service of the nation.
The Queen led the Royal Family in the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall this evening (12 November).
The royals were welcomed by Jon Moynihan, president of the Royal Albert Hall, and Vice-Admiral Peter Wilkinson, president of the Royal British Legion.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were among the royal guests attending the service, which marks the centenaries of the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Jutland, the 25th anniversary of the Gulf War and the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Supermarine Spitfire.
The Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also took their places in the royal box for an evening of moving performances in honour of those who gave their lives in the service of the nation.
Bethany - the daughter of submariner Ian Molyneux, who was shot and killed in 2011 by Able Seaman Ryan Donovan while HMS Astute was docked in Southampton – gave a moving musical introduction to the event as he explained her reasons for wearing a poppy.
In a poignant presentation, surviving relatives read the real-life memoirs of soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme, which saw one million soldiers on both sides lose their lives.
Wg Cdr Charlotte Thompson-Edgar was also honoured, a year after she received a prestigious flying cross for the 600 lives she saved in Afghanistan and set up a training programme by herself, furthering the medical treatment soldiers receive, Mail Online reports.
Telling the human stories and tragedies of war, families and comrades spoke of the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers.
Celebrity performers at the event included singers Alfie Boe, Michael Ball and Alexander Armstrong, supported by the Royal Air Force Squadronaires, and the Band of HM Royal Marines.
As school children presented their own songs and poems to commemorate the war dead, poppies fell from the ceiling as the gathering observed a moment of silence.
Earlier today, Prince Harry laid a poppy wreath at Twickenham ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
On Armistice Day the royal laid a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum and attended a remembrance service at the Armed Forces Memorial alongside veterans and representatives of the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.
Tomorrow, the Queen will lead the Royals in a ceremony at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.
