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As it happenedended

Remembrance Day: World leaders, royals and the public mark 100th anniversary of the Armistice

10,000 people march through London to honour the fallen

Zamira Rahim
Sunday 11 November 2018 16:46 GMT
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World leaders, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, join for Armistice centenary in Arc de Triomphe ceremony

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Thousands of people across the world gathered in capitals, beside monuments and in front of their leaders to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Services of remembrance were held in Australia, New Zealand and Commonwealth nations, as tens of thousands of people paused to reflect on the innumerable lives given to a conflict a century ago.

Some 12,000 people, including veterans and serving soldiers, gathered for a national ceremony of remembrance at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Commemorations started in the UK at dawn with hundreds of bagpipers across the country playing a lament at 6am.

In Paris, at the biggest of the events marking the occasion, over 100 world leaders and dignitaries walked towards the Arc de Triomphe to stand before the grave of the unknown soldier.

French president Emmanuel Macron made a speech warning against the dangers of nationalism, in what was interpreted as a veiled criticism of US President Donald Trump, who was among the gathered dignitaries.

Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Justin Trudeau were also present.

"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism," Mr Macron said.

"Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying 'Our interests first, whatever happens to the others,' you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: Its moral values."

In the UK Prince Charles laid a wreath at the cenotaph in London on behalf of his mother.

The Queen watched from a nearby balcony, flanked by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall.

In an historic first Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German president, also laid a wreath during the ceremony.

It is the first time that a German representative has done so.

Officials said that Mr Steinmeier's presence during the ceremony was a sign of the friendship that now exists between Germany and Britain.

Following the National Service of Remembrance at the cenotaph, 10,000 people marched past the monument and through London, in tribute to those who served in the First World War.

At 7pm on Sunday 1,000 beacons across the UK will also be lit to mark the occasion.

Remembrance ceremonies were also held in Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and on a number of South Pacific Islands.

If you want to read how Remembrance Day unfolded live, please see what was our live coverage below:

Portraits of soldiers who died during the First World War have been drawn on a number of British beaches.

Filmmaker Danny Boyle oversaw the project and selected the late soldiers whose faces were etched into the sand.

The drawings were created on Sunday, on beaches in Blackpool and Cornwall in England, Scotland's Shetland Islands and other parts of the UK. 

matt.payton111 November 2018 13:09
matt.payton111 November 2018 13:14

Big Ben tolled today for the first time since January, to mark the traditional two minute long silence held for Remembrance Day.

The 13.7 tonne bell has been silent since August 2017 since works on it began, except for ringing in New Year 2018.

matt.payton111 November 2018 13:23

Donald Tusk, the head of the European Council and a former Polish prime minister, celebrated the 100th anniversary of Poland's independence by laying wreaths at monuments in the country. 

Poland regained its independence on 11 November 1918, when the First World War ended. 

Mr Tusk placed flowers at the monument to the first state and armed forces leader, Marshal Jozef Pilsudski, by the Belvedere Palace.

matt.payton111 November 2018 13:28

French leader Emmanuel Macron will host the inaugural Paris Peace Forum later on Sunday.

The project has been touted as a way to avoid the errors that led to the outbreak of the First World War.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the forum showed that "today there is a will...to do everything to bring a more peaceful order to the world, even though we know we still have much work to do."

matt.payton111 November 2018 13:34
matt.payton111 November 2018 13:45

The Prince of Wales has arrived at a memorial service at the Guards' Chapel in London. 

He is Colonel of the Welsh Guards and will lay a wreath at the Guards' Memorial.

matt.payton111 November 2018 14:00

French authorities have detained three women from feminist activist group Femen for "sexual exhibition" after they caused disruption before a ceremony in Paris to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

One of the protesters reached Mr Trump's motorcade on the Champs-Elysees.

She walked on the road and shouting "fake peace maker" as the cars passed, before being apprehended.

A judicial official said the three are in custody pending further investigation.

matt.payton111 November 2018 14:13

The Polish president has led a ceremony in Warsaw 100 years since Poland regained its independence at the end of the First World War. 

Andrzej Duda gave a speech appealing for unity, as a crowd of people in Poland's white-and-red national colours sang the country's anthem.

matt.payton111 November 2018 14:24

A portrait of Second Lieutenant Walter Tull, the first black officer to serve in the British Army, has been drawn on Ayr Beach in Scotland. 

Tull was also Britain's second black professional footballer.

The drawing is part of a project occurring across beaches on Remembrance Day to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Filmmaker Danny Boyle has selected a number of soldiers whose faces were etched into the sand early this morning. 

Carol Ann Duffy has written a poem for the project, which has drawn hundreds of people to beaches across the UK. 

matt.payton111 November 2018 14:41

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