Remembrance Sunday: a moment of quiet for the Royal Family and veterans

King Charles led the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations and laid a wreath at the solemn ceremony at the Whitehall Cenotaph in central London.

As the autumn leaves fell, he was joined by other members of the Royal Family, senior politicians and dignitaries, who shared the echo of two minutes of silence.

But among the 10,000 veterans who marched, there were now only about 20 who had served in World War II, including six who are now 101 years old.

This was still a living memory, rather than a history lesson, for these last survivors of the conflict.

Many are now in wheelchairs and received warm applause from the crowd, aware that they were watching history slip out of sight.

Sid Machin, 101, says it has been an “emotional year” as he remembers those who served with him in the Far East. This summer saw events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe and the Far East.

“I will think of all the people I served with and especially those who did not return home,” he said.

Donald Poole, also 101, who served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, wanted to “pay tribute to the poor souls who have died in all the conflicts and I know how lucky I am to still be here.”

While others queued to thank their generation, he thanked the civil services, “particularly the firefighters who saved so many lives during the Blitz.”

This reminded that, in addition to military veterans, the commemoration at the Cenotaph brings together representatives of other types of service.

There were police, firefighters, ambulance crews, transport and coast guard workers laying wreaths and marching.

The Remembrance service is a time to pause in a noisy world. There is a two-minute silence and then a bugle plays the Last Post, which echoes across Westminster instead of the usual roar of traffic.

The scandals surrounding the king’s brother Andrew have been like a howling gale in recent weeks, but this was a moment of tranquility and stillness.

It is a ceremony that tries to maintain faith with previous generations. The King, dressed in a field marshal’s uniform, laid a wreath that is just like those once placed here by his grandfather George VI, with 41 paper poppies on an arrangement of black leaves.

Both would have stood in the same place in front of the same message: the Glorious Dead, engraved on the Cenotaph.

King Charles’ uniform still retains the code of his mother Elizabeth II.

What was he thinking in the great silence?

The Prince of Wales, returning from presenting his Earthshot environmental award in Brazil, joined his father in laying a wreath.

Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales looked on from the balcony of the Foreign Office.

More than 20 different religious groups were represented around the smooth stone of the cenotaph, with clerical robes mixed with military uniforms.

Sarah Mullally, who will become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a reading before a hymn was sung.

And like the ghosts of Christmas past, eight former prime ministers were lined up. Sir John Major is now the elder statesman among them.

The current incumbent, Sir Keir Starmer, said of the moment: “We remember a generation that stood against tyranny and shaped our future. Their legacy is peace and our duty is to protect it.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch came forward with her crown.

In a perhaps unexpected connection, Prince William was close to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The two are now working together on a homeless project, having recently shared a different kind of set in Sheffield, talking about tackling poverty.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood laid wreaths on behalf of the intelligence agencies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

There was also a reminder of current military threats and conflicts, with a Ukrainian flag flying over the Foreign Ministry building as veterans paraded.

But on this mild November morning, there was no escaping the sense of the passage of time and the awareness that this will be one of the last major anniversaries at which World War II veterans will be present.

Last year there were six veterans of the D-Day landings in 1944, this year there were three.

“We reflect on the bravery and sacrifice of the Second World War generation, knowing that this is one of the last opportunities the nation has to recognise, thank and honor the small number of veterans who are still with us today,” said Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Remembrance at the Royal British Legion.