King Charles III leads two-minute silence at Remembrance Sunday service
The annual National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph was marked by a two-minute silence led by King Charles III, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and a record number of former prime ministers laying wreaths.
King Charles III presided over the two-minute silence that opened the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The monarch, accompanied by senior members of the royal family, led the nation in remembering those who died in the two world wars and subsequent conflicts.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived with a wreath, joining nine former prime ministers—Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major—who also laid wreaths. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage participated for the first time after his party met the six-MP threshold required for representation.
The ceremony began at 10:30 GMT with military detachments lining up, followed by a procession of dignitaries at 10:50 GMT. At 11:00 GMT the two-minute silence was observed, marked by gunfire from the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade, after which the service continued and a parade of about 10,000 veterans and civilian service representatives marched down Whitehall.
Among the participants was 103-year-old Annie Duplock, a former Land Girl from World War II, who said she felt honoured to represent the Land Girls in the parade.
The Cenotaph, a stone monument designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and unveiled in 1920, serves as the focal point for the national remembrance of those who served and died. The event was broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Radio 4 for viewers unable to attend in person.