King Charles appeared to hold back the tears during his emotional first Remembrance Sunday service as monarch.
He honoured the nation’s war dead for the first time since the death of his mother the Queen and laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in remembrance of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Charles had performed the role on behalf of the Queen as the Prince of Wales, but as the first chimes of Big Ben rang out at 11am and a two-minute silence began, he stood before the Cenotaph in his role as head of state for the first time.
A volley from a gun fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from nearby Horse Guards Parade rang out to signal the start of the moment of silent reflection, punctuated by the sound of London traffic, and another loud blast marked its end.
Charles laid his wreath, its design a tribute to ones used by his late mother and grandfather George VI and it featured his racing colours, after buglers from the Royal Marines played the Last Post.
And viewers watching the poignant service at home were struck by how emotional the King looked.
One wrote on Twitter : "Looks as if King Charles was blinking away tears as God Save the King was played. I expect he was thinking of his mother."
Another remarked: "To see how emotional our King Charles III looked, visibly holding back the tears."
While another said: "God bless King Charles. He looked really emotional at the Cenotaph."
Prince William also lay the same wreath previously laid by his father, who held the title Prince of Wales for more than 64 years before his accession to the throne. It featured the white Prince of Wales feathers but had a new ribbon in “Welsh red”.
Meanwhile, a teary-eyed Princess of Wales and Queen Consort Camilla watched the emotional Remembrance Sunday service today together.
The two royal women stood on the balcony of the Foreign Office, overlooking the Cenotaph, where wreaths were laid by the royals to honour the nation's war dead.
They both wore elegant black coats and hats and each had three poppies pinned to them as well as diamond brooches. Kate wore earrings that once belonged to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana and at one point looked close to tears as she watched proceedings. Camilla wore the same black hat she wore to the the Queen's funeral in September.
Also present at the Cenotaph were the the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to the fallen on behalf of the Government by leaving a wreath, followed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, other party leaders, senior members of the Cabinet, military chiefs of staff and high commissioners.
Seven former prime ministers – Sir John Major, Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss - were also present.
The Queen, who died just nine weeks ago at the age of 96, considered Remembrance Sunday, which commemorates the war dead, one of the most significant and important engagements in the royal calendar.
The nation’s longest reigning monarch, who lived through the Second World War as a teenager and was head of the armed forces, only missed seven Cenotaph services during her reign, including in 2021 due to a back sprain.
