WWII veterans outnumber former prime ministers at Remembrance Sunday service

World War II veterans attending the national Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London outnumbered the nine former prime ministers gathered for the ceremony. About a dozen veterans were present, the oldest being 19-year-old RAF mechanic Jeffrey Brereton, who served during the Battle of Britain. Former leaders included John Major, 83, the oldest living ex-prime minister, Keir Starmer, the most recent former premier, and Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister.

Andy Burnham participated in the ceremony for the first time, and his wife Marie-France van Heel joined spouses of former leaders on a balcony overlooking Whitehall. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage laid a wreath for the first time, as his party now holds the minimum six seats required for participation. Other politicians who placed wreaths included Kemi Badenoch, Ed Davey, Shabana Mahmood and Speaker Lindsay Hoyle.

King Charles, in a field marshal’s uniform, laid the first wreath, accompanied by his son William in a lieutenant colonel’s uniform of the Household Cavalry. The two-minute silence was observed before a gun salute marked its conclusion and the Last Post was sounded by Royal Marines buglers.

Following the ceremony, roughly 10,000 veterans joined a march-past featuring more than 300 armed forces and civilian organisations. Participants included wheelchair-bound veterans, a group on mobility scooters, and eight-year-old Ronan Doncaster, who walked in memory of his father, a guardsman killed in April 2024.

Separate services were held across the United Kingdom: in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, Irish taoiseach Micheál Martin and Northern Ireland secretary Chris Bryant attended; in Edinburgh, first minister John Swinney led tributes with a military parade down the Royal Mile; and in Glasgow’s George Square, veterans, faith leaders and armed forces representatives gathered for a silence at 11 a.m. followed by wreath-laying.