Queen Elizabeth reunited with the royal family in public eight months after the lockdown and led the U.K. in the annual commemoration to honor their war heroes. But this year's Remembrance Sunday ceremony, held at the Cenotaph in London, was a scaled-down event due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Her Majesty stood at the Foreign Office's balcony to watch the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, lay down wreaths for the fallen heroes on the Cenotaph. Wearing a black coat for this solemn occasion, Queen Elizabeth had five poppies pinned to her lapel to represent all of the branches of the British royal military, according to Hello!
Standing beside the Queen at the Whitehall balcony was her lady-in-waiting, Susan Rhodes. To her left in another balcony were Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
The Queen's other children, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, were also on the ground to lay down wreaths. Their respective spouses, Sir Timothy Laurence, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, stood two meters apart at the same balcony.
The socially-distanced event saw the royal family observing a two-minute silence, followed by the crowd singing God Save The Queen. The annual march to the Cenotaph was scrapped because of the safety precautions. However, some members of the veteran forces were allowed to take part in the services while observing proper safety and health protocols.
Noticeably missing from the annual event was Prince Andrew, who was a Royal Navy helicopter pilot. The Duke of York was a participant of Remembrance Sunday commemorations in the past but he has not been seen at royal family public events since he stepped back from his royal duties in November 2019.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were also not at the Cenotaph. Harry served the Royal Military in two tours in Afghanistan but since he also stepped down from his royal roles, he lost his military titles upon his exit.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, still commemorated Remembrance Sunday by visiting the Los Angeles National Cemetery. They brought flowers plucked from their backyard garden for two gravestones of Commonwealth soldiers.
Prince Philip, a Royal Navy veteran, was also not at the event as he remains in isolation in Windsor Castle. The 99-year-old royal hasn't attended Remembrance Sunday since he retired from public service in 2017.
