King to lead Remembrance Sunday service at Cenotaph

A major policing operation remains in place in London after tensions surrounding a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day.

The King led his first Remembrance Day service as monarch last year (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Archive)

The nation will fall silent on Sunday to honour those who died in conflict as the King leads a moving Remembrance Day service.

A two-minute silence will take place across the UK at 11am.

Wreaths will be laid by members of the royal family, senior politicians and dignitaries at the Cenotaph in London, where a major policing operation remains in place after more than 120 arrests – mostly far-right counter-protesters – as a pro-Palestinian march was held on Armistice Day.

Recent events have served as a stark reminder that we cannot take the hard-earned peace we live in for granted

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Charles will lead the country at the Whitehall memorial in commemorating the end of the First World War and other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.

Almost 10,000 veterans and 800 Armed Forces personnel from all three services will take part in a march-past.

They will be joined by thousands of members of the public who will line Whitehall to watch the service.

Among those marching will be nuclear test veterans, who for the first time will wear a medal acknowledging their contribution.

After 70 years of waiting for recognition, those exposed to the effects of nuclear bombs during the UK’s testing programme were given a medal – depicting an atom surrounded by olive branches – for the Remembrance Sunday service.

More than 300 different Armed Forces and civilian organisations will be represented, as well as some 300 veterans not affiliated with an association who have been invited to join for the first time.

People of all ages will be marching, from 100-year-old Second World War veterans to bereaved children, with the youngest aged eight.

They will also mark 70 years since the end of fighting in the Korean War and 20 years since the start of the UK’s military operations in Iraq.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The courage and commitment shown by our servicemen and women, both today and throughout the generations that came before them, is humbling and I know many across the country will be honouring their memory today in quiet reflection.

“Recent events have served as a stark reminder that we cannot take the hard-earned peace we live in for granted, which is why I am honoured to lay a wreath on behalf of the nation in the memory of all those that have lost their lives defending our country and the values we hold so close.

“I am determined to ensure we never forget the ultimate sacrifice they have made.”

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “As the nation comes together to remember all those who died serving their country, we remember with gratitude the sacrifices of the entire Armed Forces community and thank all those in uniform who protect our country and its way of life.”

The Metropolitan Police is under pressure to prevent further disruption as Mr Sunak told Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley he expects the far-right “thugs” who clashed with police and “Hamas sympathisers” on Saturday’s pro-Palestinian march to face the “full and swift force of the law”.

The march was calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the death toll has been mounting since Hamas’s bloody October 7 attack on Israel triggered an ongoing war.

The number of officers on duty in London is double the usual amount, with 1,375 officers on Sunday, and the Cenotaph has a dedicated 24-hour police presence until the conclusion of Remembrance events.

Nine officers were injured as they prevented a violent crowd of mainly football hooligans reaching the war memorial while a Remembrance service was taking place on Saturday.