Despite ongoing health issues, the Queen will attend the annual Remembrance Sunday event, following advice from her doctors that she needed to rest for a couple of weeks.
The 95-year-old monarch, who recently returned to her Windsor Castle residence, has however decided to step back from certain events and her youngest son Prince Edward will attend them in her place.
The Queen at the 2020 Remembrance Sunday service. (Getty)
A statement from Buckingham Palace read: “The Queen will attend the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph on Sunday 14th November. As in previous years, Her Majesty will view the Service from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.
“Mindful of her doctors’ recent advice, The Queen has decided not to attend the General Synod Service and Opening Session on Tuesday 16th November. The Earl of Wessex will attend as planned.”
Last year’s event at the Cenotaph in London’s Whitehall went ahead despite COVID restrictions and was attended by not only Her Majesty but also Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
Meanwhile over in the US, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex took a moment to lay a wreath at the LA National Cemetery near their Santa Barbara home.
To mark Remembrance Day 2021, several royal family members paid tribute to fallen soldiers via social media.
However, on her royal engagement, the Duchess of Cornwall paid a special tribute to her late father-in-law Prince Philip as well.
As Patron of the Poppy Factory, Camilla opened the 93rd Field of Remembrance which contains thousands of wooden crosses carrying personal messages in memory of those who have lost their lives in the service of others.
Before he retired, Prince Philip would always lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior when his visit to the Field of Remembrance fell on November 11. So in a nod to this tradition, Camilla laid flowers at the Grave following her visit.
The Duchess of Cornwall honoured Prince Philip by placing flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior – a gesture the Duke of Edinburgh did when his visit to the Field of Remembrance fell on November 11. (The Royal Family)
Sophie, Countess of Wessex, also marked Armistice Day on her own royal engagement in Warwickshire.
The wife of Prince Edward laid a wreath and took the salute at the annual Bedworth Armistice Day Parade, which is marking its 100th year.
Meanwhile the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester joined the National Memorial Arboretum annual Armistice Day Service at the Armed Forces Memorial. The memorial is dedicated to the 16,000 men and women killed while serving in the armed forces since the end of the Second World War.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex also laid a wreath on Armistice Day. (The Royal Family)
Harry and Meghan also honoured veterans at the 2021 Salute To Freedom Gala at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum on November 10 in New York City.
Dressed in a show-stopping red Carolina Herrera gown, the Duchess of Sussex stole the show, but former soldier Harry made a poignant speech about his time in the military.
“I served 10-years in the military, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan—one as an FAC on the ground and in the dust with some of you, another as an Apache helicopter pilot in the air supporting and talking with you,” he told the audience.
“Nothing was more valuable than the time I got to spend with my soldiers in a shell scrape, eating an MRE in the back of a tank (thanks for the swaps), flying a mission overhead knowing those below were safer, or making each other laugh when it was needed the most. My experience in the military made me who I am today, and I will always be grateful for the people I got to serve with—wherever in the world we were.”
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