Royal Family visibly emotional as Queen leads nation on Remembrance Sunday laying a wreath at the Cenotaph
Sophie the Countess of Wessex could be seen crying as nation fell silent to remember fallen heroes
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By Lauren Fruen and David Willetts
13th November 2016,11:12 am
Updated: 14th November 2016,3:55 pm
SOMBRE Sophie the Countess of Wessex appears to wipe away a tear yesterday during a Remembrance Sunday ceremony in honour of fallen war heroes.
The 51-year-old joined the Duchess of Cambridge, 34, and Duchess of Cornwall, 69, on a balcony overlooking the Cenotaph on London’s Whitehall.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex could be seen crying at the memorial as she watched from the balcony with Kate Middleton and Camilla Parker Bowles
The service, attended by more than 700 soldiers, sailors and RAF members, was echoed nationwide as millions paid silent tribute.
The Queen led the nation in honouring its war dead today laying the first of many wreaths at the Cenotaph this morning.
The Royal was joined by Prime Minister Theresa May for the annual Remembrance Sunday service in central London in memory of those killed in past and present conflicts.
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Queen Elizabeth before laying a wreath during the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall
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The Duchess of Cambridge, Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex were at the Cenotaph to pay their respects
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Princes Harry and William were among the thousands who were in central London for the annual Remembrance
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The Queen lays the first wreath during the annual Remembrance Sunday Service
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The Queen joined past and present political leaders, the royal family and hundreds of veterans at the ceremony
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired their First World War-era guns to mark the beginning and end of the reflection in the heart of Whitehall at 11am. The Last Post was then sounded.
The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, will lead the service of remembrance which will end with trumpeters of the Royal Air Force sounding Rouse (Reveille).
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Prime Minister Theresa May stand side by side this morning
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Prime Minister Theresa May lays a wreath in central London
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn lays a wreath after last year being accused of giving a slight nod of the head
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The Chelsea Pensioners are among those who will pay their respects to our fallen heroes today
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Prime Minister Theresa May and husband Philip leave number 10 Downing Street this morning
As in previous years, the Queenw as joined by senior members of the royal family including the Duke of Edinburgh and Princes Harry and William.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair also attended.
Following the ceremony, thousands of veterans and servicemen and women will parade down Whitehall past the Guards memorial.
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Services are held annually across Commonwealth countries during Remembrance Day to commemorate servicemen and women who have fallen in the line of duty since World War I
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A two-minute silence was observed at 11am this morning across Britain
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Theresa May said this year’s occasion should also be a time for honouring the bravery of British forces fighting Islamic State, assisting UN peacekeeping efforts in Africa or fighting piracy
Kate Middleton was pictured with the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex during the annual service.
This year, remembrance events will be especially poignant as 2016 marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Jutland, the 25th anniversary of the Gulf War and the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Supermarine Spitfire.
Other royals attending the service on Saturday included the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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A tearful soldier in Fort William, Scotland pays her respects to lost colleagues
Boris Johnson and his wife Marina on their way to the the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Westminster
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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and wife Cherie today paid their respects
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Former Prime Minister David Cameron walks through Downing Street on his way to the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall
The British Army suffered almost 60,000 casualties on the first day of the Somme battle alone and more than a million men would be killed or wounded on both sides over the course of the 141-day offensive.
On June 30 and July 1, members of the royal family attended commemoration services in France and across the UK to mark the beginning of the bloody battle.
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Huge crowds paid tribute to members of the armed forces who died in conflict
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The Queen, senior politicians, including the British Prime Minister and representatives from the armed forces pay tribute to those who have suffered or died at war
