King Charles attends his first ‘Remembrance Sunday’
King Charles III will pay tribute to the victims of war this Sunday in London for the first time as a monarch.
Charles III served in the Navy in the 1970s.
AFP
King Charles III will attend his first “Remembrance Sunday” as monarch on Sunday and will pay tribute to the victims of wars, while British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to the Ukrainians’ fight against Russia.
The 73-year-old king had already replaced his mother Elizabeth II – who died in September aged 96 – during these ceremonies. The queen, who served as a mechanic during World War II, had missed the ceremony only seven times in her 70-year reign and had watched the parade from the Foreign Office buildings since 2017. Her son replaced her last year because she was suffering from back problems.
Charles III, who served in the navy in the 1970s, then laid a wreath in his name at the foot of the Cenotaph, the memorial to the victims of war. Now king and commander of the armed forces, on Sunday he will lay the wreath of red poppies, emblems of Remembrance Day, in his own name. According to Buckingham Palace, another bouquet will be left in the name of Queen Consort Camilla. The latter, 75, will attend the ceremony from the Foreign Ministry’s balcony.
Two minutes of silence
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has been in office for three weeks, is also attending his first “Remembrance Sunday”. “This year more than ever, we are reminded of the enormous gratitude we owe to those who lost their lives protecting their country,” he said in a statement, adding that the minutes of silence held would also pay tribute to “those brave soldiers” . Ukraine, which continues its struggle for freedom”.
Two minutes’ silence will be observed at 11am and Big Ben will strike, marking the return of the iconic London clock after five years of refurbishment. Around 10,000 veterans will march past the king and other members of the royal family, including the heir to the throne William and his wife Kate.
“Remembrance Sunday” concludes each year a week of tribute to the victims of wars since the First World War. Members of the royal family have laid wreaths and crosses in recent days and attended the annual concert at a veterans association on Saturday.
AFP
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