NOVEMBER 9, 2026
Two Minutes of Silence
With the U.K. holding its National Service of Remembrance over the weekend at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, members of the Royal Family did their solemn duty in leading the ceremony. The King, as head of the Armed Forces, stood alone at the monument during the two minutes of silence and then placed the first wreath – in honour of those who died during the wars – followed by the Princess Royal, Prince of Wales and Duke of Edinburgh. While last year there were 20 Second World War veterans at the ceremony, this year only 12 were on hand. Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales watched from a balcony in the Home Office, with the latter wearing Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Drop Earrings. (The night before, at Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, she had honoured Queen Elizabeth II by wearing the Queen’s Diamond Frame Earrings.) And on a separate balcony, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence stood on either side of the late Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, 91, who served in the Armed Forces for two decades. A veteran of the British Army who served two tours in Afghanistan, the Duke of Sussex took part in a much smaller service in the market town of Brackley, near where he is living with his family in the Cotswolds. In Canada, we will honour our veterans this Wednesday across the country and in Ottawa with the National Remembrance Day Ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Lest we forget. | Getty Images
