Kate’s poignant tribute to war dead at Cenotaph with Sophie by her side

It was the Princess of Wales’s most poignant official engagement since the start of the year as Kate stood in solemn silence in honour of the nation’s war dead.

Dressed in black as is the tradition, Kate wore a netted hat, with her hair in a twisted chignon, and a military-style coat featuring black epaulettes, and embellished at the neck with a black velvet bow.

But the Duchess of Edinburgh was switched from her originally planned position with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester on a neighbouring balcony to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Kate in support.

It is the first time Kate has carried out two consecutive days of public official engagements this year, with the princess attending the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.

Kate, who stood throughout, watched intently as Charles and her husband William placed their poppy wreaths at the base of the Portland stone monument.

On the princess’s coat were three red poppies, often rumoured to be in honour of her great-grandmother’s three brothers, who all lost their lives in the First World War.

The princess made her first ever appearance at the service as the Duchess of Cambridge 13 years ago, seven months after she married William, joining the royal family and becoming an HRH.

Kate has attended every year since, including 2020 when she took to the balcony, standing socially distanced from Camilla, during the Covid pandemic when the increasingly frail late Elizabeth II missed the service due to a sprained back.