The Queen was joined by members of the Royal Family to commemorate the fallen at the Royal Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.The monarch was joined at the Royal Albert Hall in London by thousands of veterans for the 90th anniversary of the event, organised by the Royal British Legion, of which she is the patron.
Among the acts performing were singers Mel C, Emeli Sande, Tom Odell, Lesley Garrett and Alfie Boe, alongside hymns, prayers and readings.
The event marks the centenaries of women’s service in the regular armed forces, the Battle of Passchendaele, the creation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the 100th birthday of forces’ sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn.
It also commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein and the creation of the RAF Regiment.
Other royals attending the service on Saturday include the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge, who is pregnant with her third child.
Prince Harry joined thousands of fans at Twickenham to hold two minutes silence on Armistice Day to remember those who died in the nation’s wars and conflicts.
The Prince, who is the patron of the Rugby Football Union, attended England’s home game against Argentina where a giant poppy was displayed on the pitch as The Last Post sounded out across the stadium.
Prince Harry, who has served in Afghanistan and set up the Invictus Games for veterans, met six volunteers from the Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC), the official match-day charity which builds and maintains memorials to those who died in the First and Second World Wars.
The Duke of Cambridge, patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, is due to attend Wales game against Australia in Cardiff.
On Sunday the Royal family will be out in force again at the Cenotaph, in a deeply symbolic year in which the Queen will take a step back from laying the wreath for the first time.
The Prince of Wales will instead lay a wreath on her behalf, as she and the Duke watch from a balcony to pay their respects.
It is the first time the Queen has asked the Prince to take her place for the key moment of the
ceremony when she has been present, in a significant and very visible transitional moment for the monarchy.
Now 91, the Queen will instead join her 96-year-old husband on the balcony of the nearby Foreign and Commonwealth Office, along with other members of the Royal Family.
In previous years, this has included the Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Cambridge and Countess of Wessex.
It is only the sixth time the Queen has missed laying the wreath herself, including a 1961 trip to Ghana, a 1968 visit to Brazil and in 1999 when she was in South Africa.
The Duke of Edinburgh has represented her on two occasions, in 1959 and 1963 when she was expecting her two youngest children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and the Prince once, in 1983 while the Queen was in Kenya.
This year, the Duke’s wreath will be laid by an equerry, while the Prince also lays one on his own behalf.
The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry are expected to attend the Cenotaph wreath laying, along with all of the Queen’s children.
An aide said the Duke had been determined to attend the ceremony and wished to be with his family on the balcony, while the Queen chose to be alongside her husband. The Telegraph via Yahoo news
