Queen Camilla appeared to be overcome with emotion today as she attended the 97th Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey. Her Majesty, as Patron of the Poppy Factory, attended the event on Thursday to pay her respects to those who have lost their lives in war. At the event today, Camilla planted a Cross of Remembrance and observed the two-minute silence. Her Majesty also met with service personnel, veterans and their families at the event. Throughout the public engagement, Camilla looked emotional and poignant as she showed her respect.
The Field of Remembrance has been organised by the Poppy Factory and held in the grounds of Westminster Abbey since November 1928 to commemorate those who have lost their lives serving in the Armed Forces. The area has plots where ex-service men and women, as well as members of the public, can plant a cross or a symbol carrying a personal message in memory of those who have lost their lives in war. Queen Camilla attended Thursday’s service as proud patron, having supported The Poppy Factory since 2013. The charity aims to help veterans and family members get into employment, as well as help them to feel healthier, more independent and better connected in the workplace.
Here are some incredible photographs from the event.
Paying tribute to those who gave their lives in the war is always a poignant subject for Queen Camilla. This is because her father Major Bruce Shand served. He served with the 12th Lancers during the Second World War, earning the Military Cross twice, once in 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk, and again in 1942 for his North Africa campaign. Despite being wounded and captured in the same region, he survived the ordeal, passing away at the age of 89 in June 2006. In a move that paid tribute to her father, the Queen became Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Lancers in 2023, and wore the regiment’s skull and crossbones symbol both as a brooch and as a cap badge. Camilla is also the Colonel of the Grenadier Guards.
(Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)
