The Royal Family has been out in force to commemorate the nation’s war dead at the annual Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph – but there was a notable absence
The King led the Royal Family and the nation in commemoration today at the annual sombre Remembrance Sunday service. Charles, along with Prince William, laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in Central London and led the annual two-minute silence to remember those who have died fighting for their country.
Also watching the ceremony today were Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales, who observed the proceedings from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. However, for those watching the moving ceremony at home, one major royal, who is usually an ever-present at the service laying a wreath, was missing.
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Princess Anne did not join her brothers, the King and Prince Edward, at the national war memorial on Whitehall and was nowhere to be seen at the ceremony. And her absence has been explained as she is currently on a tour of Australia and Singapore with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
However, earlier today, she attended a Remembrance Service and laid a wreath at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, during her visit to celebrate the Centenary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, as Colonel-in-Chief.
Anne’s visit Down Under was announced several weeks ago. Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time: “The Princess will undertake a series of military engagements in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane during the four-day visit to commemorate the centenary. As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Her Royal Highness will lay a wreath at the Sydney War Cemetery.”
Anne has long maintained a distinguished and enduring association with the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, serving as its Colonel-in-Chief since 1977. The Royal Australian Corps of Signals is a team of soldiers who are technical specialists that provide communications, electronic warfare and cyber capabilities to support military operations.
The Princess has travelled to Australia more than 20 times, last travelling to the Commonwealth nation in 2022, with her three-day trip coinciding the anniversary of her father, Prince Philip’s death. She officially opened the Sydney Royal Easter Show, celebrating the bicentenary of the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth in her role as patron.
After arriving by horse-drawn carriage, Anne made a speech at the official opening ceremony – her first on Australian soil – thanking the farming community for coming together despite countless hardships. Next week, Anne will travel to Singapore for two days of engagements to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Singapore.
