Kate lays Armistice Day wreath for first time as nation pays silent tribute

The Princess of Wales has led the nation in a poignant two-minute silence in remembrance of the fallen on Armistice Day.

Kate stood silent, still and deep in thought as she joined veterans in honouring the war dead at the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, before laying a wreath in memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Poignant services were held across the country on the anniversary of the end of the First World War, with the silence observed at 11am to remember those who have died in military conflicts.

It was the first time future queen Kate – dressed in a military-style black coat, wide-brimmed black hat adorned with a bow and wearing two poppies – had attended the service at the Arboretum and laid a wreath on Armistice Day.

Queen Camilla, meanwhile, joined commuters on a train from Chippenham to London Paddington to take part in Great Western Railway’s Poppies to Paddington initiative.

She travelled on the 9.28am service to London from the Wiltshire station to mark the initiative, where wreaths are placed on early morning train services and brought to Paddington station for a special service.

Camilla was met at Chippenham train station by pupils from the nearby Monkton Park School, who presented a crocheted a wreath for the Queen to take to Paddington.

The Year 5 and 6 pupils had learned to crochet especially for the project, and made extra poppies to sell at school to fundraise for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Camilla, who herself wore a crocheted poppy pinked to a black blazer worn over a green dress, admired the wreath presented to her by Eira Jones, 10, and told pupils: “I’m extremely impressed.”

In a carriage filled with wreaths for the Poppies to Paddington project, Camilla travelled to Paddington on a train named after decorated Second World War spy, Odette Hallowes GC MBE.

At the National Memorial Arboretum, Kate was handed a wreath to lay in the centre of the memorial.

Watched by the crowd, which included veterans and their families, she stepped forward to lay the large ring of poppies before appearing to take a moment of reflection and then returning to her seat.

She bowed her head as the crowd prayed for those who had been affected by conflict, including members of the armed forces and civilians.

After the service, the princess visited the memorial wall, where she was introduced to Squadron Leader Beth Long and her daughters Scarlett and Sophie – the family of Squadron Leader Mark Long who died in a Spitfire crash during Battle of Britain Memorial Flight duties in 2024.

Mr Long’s name is the most recent to be engraved on the wall.

Kate spoke to the family for around five minutes before meeting Bosnia veteran Johnny Hayes, who spent 23 years in the Royal Military Police.

The princess held onto her hat in the breeze as she made her way down the steps and away from the memorial.

She was met by Hayley Lawrence, a Royal Army Medical Corps veteran, and Steve Cartwright, a Royal Engineers veteran, and chatted to them as she walked back to the main buildings.

During their chat, she touched Mr Cartwright’s arm and laughed with the pair before she waved and smiled at the crowd who took photographs as she passed by.

Kate was handed a bunch of flowers as she met pupils from Newport Girls’ High School before taking time to chat to D-Day veterans Alan Kennett and Geoffrey Spencer and VE and VJ Day veteran Donald (Bill) Redston.

Speaking to Mr Spencer, who served in RAF Bomber Command and repaired and flew Lancaster Bomber aircraft, Kate asked him what it was like to fly and shared that son George loves to make AirFix models and was a “big fan” of the Lancaster Bomber models.

She said: “George very much likes making the AirFix models. He is a big fan of the Lancaster Bomber, so he knows more about aircraft than I do.”

Kate held the hand of VE and VJ Day veteran Donald (Bill) Redston as the 100-year-old told her about the keep-fit regime he credits for keeping him well.

Asked by the royal for his top tips, Mr Redston told Kate he had run marathons, including the London Marathon when he was 65 and the New York Marathon when he was 66.

The princess said the arboretum was a “special place” and that she enjoyed hearing the personal experiences of veterans such as Mr Redston.

Before she departed the Arboretum, Kate stopped to greet crowds who waited outside to see her and appeared to joke about having to hold onto her hat in the wind as she shook hands and chatted.

Josephine Bradburn, 72, who celebrated her birthday on Friday, said it was a “fantastic birthday present” to meet Kate.

She said she asked the princess how she was, and commented that the arboretum was a lovely place.

She said: “I got to shake her hand. She said what a lovely place it was an what an honour it was to be asked to come here today. She asked us where we were from.”

Mrs Bradburn, from Kingswinford, said she was “shaking” after talking with Kate.

She said: “I’m absolutely blown away by it. It’s an amazing birthday present, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

At Paddington train station, Camilla took part in a service attended by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Camilla placed a wreath of poppies at the war memorial at Platform One at Paddington before the Last Post was sounded to mark the start of the two minutes’ silence.

Great Western Railway managing director Mark Hopwood paid tribute to those who served the public after the stabbing on a train in Huntingdon on November 1.

Mr Hopwood said: “In recent days, we have been reminded again about the quiet courage that runs through this industry.

“The actions of all those involved in the appalling incident at Huntington, not least the LNER train crew, the officers of Cambridgeshire and the British Transport Police, showed calm, compassion and bravery in the face of quite unimaginable circumstances.

“Their actions embody the same values of services and care that have always defined our industry.”

Following the service, which included a performance by the Military Wives Choir, Camilla laid a wreath in front of the memorial, which was set against a backdrop of drapes of poppies made by a GWR employee.

Camilla was then shown a special liveried train which features the names of all 2,545 former-GWR workers who died in the First World War.

Two relatives of those named on the train, Jane Brook, 51, from Exeter, and Adrian Russell, 58, from Swindon, told the Queen of their family members’ service.

Ms Brook described meeting Camilla as “surreal”, adding: “I’m very proud to be stood next to Great Uncle Harry, I feel like it’s a memory for him.”

Private Western, who served in the 8th Devonshire Regiment, was an engine cleaner at GWR’s Exeter depot. He was killed at the age of 21 in the Battle of Arras in 1917.

Ms Brook, who is a driving training administrator, works at the same depot as her great uncle, a connection she described as “really special”.

She said: “To be stood next to (a photograph of) him and meet Queen Camilla was just massive – to know that he hasn’t been forgotten amongst all the thousands of other people.”

Mr Russell said it was a “great honour” to represent the company and his great, great uncle Raymond William, who worked as a labourer in the carriage works in Swindon.

Like four generations of his family before him, Mr Russell works at GWR’s Swindon branch.

He is also part of the volunteer team that sells poppies at the station during the Poppy Appeal.

The train manager and assessor said: “The honour of meeting the queen has just blown me out of the water, to be honest. It’s a bit of a blur.

“I was saying (to the Queen), I’m fourth generation railway. She said that’s a good thing – she understands the passion behind it.”

Elsewhere, in Edinburgh, members of the public bowed their heads in silence as they gathered despite the rain during an Armistice Day event in the Garden of Remembrance at the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens.

In central London, the Western Front Association led commemorations at the Cenotaph, where members paraded to the monument to pay their respects.

In St Mary’s Church in Dover, Kent, a cascade of knitted poppies flowed down from the top of the church, covering part of the historic building in a blanket of scarlet flowers.

A video message from the Prince of Wales was played to children across the UK as part of the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance Assembly on Tuesday morning.

William told the pupils about the importance of wearing a red poppy and that “remembrance is for everyone”.