King Charles leads Remembrance Sunday service at Cenotaph

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The King has led the nation in the annual Remembrance Sunday service attended by thousands of war veterans at the Cenotaph in London.

A sea of poppies and military uniforms could be seen as hundreds of people lined Whitehall on Sunday morning, with three D-Day veterans among the Second World War personnel attending the service.

Charles laid the first wreath in recognition of the fallen from conflicts dating back to the First World War, and was followed by the Prince of Wales.

King Charles III followed by the Prince of Wales, (left) and the Duke of Edinburgh (right) during the Remembrance Sunday service in London

King Charles III followed by the Prince of Wales, (left) and the Duke of Edinburgh (right) during the Remembrance Sunday service in London (James Manning/PA Wire)

The 76-year-old monarch, wearing Field Marshal uniform with a ceremonial frock coat, saluted before stepping back from the monument after leading a two-minute silence.

His son, dressed in Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander, also saluted after laying his wreath at the Cenotaph.

King Charles III (centre) stands during the service at the Cenotaph on Sunday

King Charles III (centre) stands during the service at the Cenotaph on Sunday (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

William, who in 2013 completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time operational military service, promotes the roles and welfare of current and former service personnel as a key part of his work.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also laid a floral tribute, along with senior politicians including Kemi Badenoch, Sir Ed Davey, Yvette Cooper, Shabana Mahmood and Sir Lindsay Hoyle and representatives from the Commonwealth.

Prince William lays his wreath

Prince William lays his wreath (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

The Princess of Wales and the Queen, both dressed in black, and other members of the royal family viewed the Remembrance Sunday service from a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office overlooking the Cenotaph.

The pair were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and the Duchess of Edinburgh.

Veterans wait to get in to position on Whitehall

Veterans wait to get in to position on Whitehall (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Standing close to the Cenotaph were eight former prime ministers: Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Lord Cameron, Baroness May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

The Cenotaph wreath-laying ceremony was held after a two-minute silence was observed in the heart of Whitehall and at war memorials in villages, towns and cities across the country.

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 Band of the Royal Marines march on Whitehall

The Band of the Royal Marines march on Whitehall (Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Camilla and Kate both smiled as the King departed to applause from the crowd after the national anthem was sung at the end of the ceremony.

Ahead of the service, around a dozen people wearing military uniforms and poppies were pushed in wheelchairs in Whitehall while respectful applause rang out near the Cenotaph and one of the veterans saluted.

Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales on a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)

Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales on a balcony at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (James Manning/PA Wire)

Three D-Day veterans were among the Second World War personnel in attendance at Whitehall.

Henry Rice, a former signalman who arrived off Juno Beach five days after D-Day, and Mervyn Kersh who arrived in Normandy aged 19, three days after the start of the D-Day invasion, were among those in attendance on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer lays a wreath

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer lays a wreath (James Manning/PA Wire)

Sid Machin, one of the six 101-year-olds registered to march, was also present. He is one of the last surviving “Chindit” soldiers from the Second World War’s Burma campaign.

As a young man of about 19, Mr Machin landed behind enemy lines in a glider at night in the jungle, as part of a special forces unit in Burma (now Myanmar), which wreaked havoc on Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.