“Emotional” King Charles III leads Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph

Caribbean representatives participated in a moving service to mark Remembrance Day at London’s cenotaph. Delegations from nations including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica and Belize, as well as the Overseas Territories of British Virgin Islands and Anguilla, laid wreaths at the foot of the monument to honour their countrymen who served and sacrificed in the World Wars.

This followed a two minute silence impeccably observed by the thousands in attendance at the event led by King Charles III. A gun was fired to mark the end of the silence before the Last Post was sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines.

The monarch, wearing a field marshal uniform with a ceremonial coat, was joined by Prince William, who was dressed in a Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander, and other members of the Royal Family and senior politicians, who each laid wreaths to the fallen.

His Majesty the King –  who is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and previously served in the Royal Navy – looked visibly moved throughout the service, often captured in deep reflection, and particularly as he saluted the monument.

The Queen and Princess of Wales, who were both dressed in black, watched on solemnly from one of the Foreign Office balconies overlooking the memorial in Whitehall. Numbers naturally dwindle every year but there were still several veterans from WW2 able to attend and were deserving of the applause that greeted their arrival.

One such veteran was 101-year-old Sid Machin, one of the last surviving “Chindit” soldiers from Burma (now Myanmar) campaign. As a young man of just 19, Mr Machin landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “This Remembrance Sunday, we pause as a nation to honour all those who have served our country as we reflect on the extraordinary courage of our Armed Forces in the world wars and subsequent conflicts, whose service secured the freedoms we cherish today.”

On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Sir Keir spoke of “a generation who stood against tyranny and shaped our future,” before adding: “Such sacrifice deserves more than silence, which is why this government remains committed to supporting veterans, their families and those who serve. Today, we remember, and we renew our promise to uphold the values they fought for.”