Remembrance 2023

Remembrance Sunday

The centrepiece of Remembrance week, the Cenotaph Service in central London sees The King, supported by other members of the Royal Family,  lead the nation in Remembrance.

More than 10,000 veterans, serving members of the Armed Forces and Forces families gather to lay wreaths and observe the national silence. 

The King led the nation in Remembrance, and laid a wreath at The Cenotaph in his role as Commander in Chief the Armed Forces.

Other members of the Royal Family also laid wreaths.

The Queen and The Princess of Wales watched the Service from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development building on Whitehall. A wreath was laid on Her Majesty's behalf by her Equerry. 

Programme of events

The programme for Royal Remembrance. events 2023 is as follows:

Wednesday 8th November 2023

The Duke of Edinburgh carried out military engagements in Telford. His Royal Highness concluded the day at a reception at Dawley Town Hall for veterans and local groups supporting the Armed Forces community.

Thursday 9th November 2023

The Queen will attend the 95th year of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

Saturday 11th November 2023

The Princess Royal will attend The National Memorial Arboretum Armistice Day Service inStaffordshire.

The King and Queen will attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

The Festival will also be attended by The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke of Kent.

Sunday 12th November 2023

The King and Queen will attend the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will also attend the Service.

The King will lay a wreath, the design of which closely resembles the wreath produced for HM King George VI. The wreath’s 41 open style poppy petals are made from bonded fabric and mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, as is traditional for the Sovereign. The wreath’s ribbon bears The King’s racing colours; scarlet, purple and gold. The Royal racing colours were also incorporated into the Wreaths of King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen will view the Service from the Centre Balcony of the FCDO. On Her Majesty’s behalf, her equerry Major Ollie Plunket, The Rifles, will lay a wreath which closely resembles the wreath produced for HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Its 95 closed style poppy petals are made from bonded fabric and the Wreath will bear the colours from HM The Queen’s racing silk – brown, red and yellow.

The King and Queen’s wreaths have been produced by The Poppy Factory.

The Prince of Wales will lay a wreath featuring The Prince of Wales plumes. The wreath will bear a ribbon in Welsh red.

Following the Service, The Princess Royal will take the Salute at the March Past of Veteran Organisations on Horse Guards Parade.

Thursday 9th November 2023

The Queen has planted her own Cross of Remembrance following prayers and a two-minute silence in the Field of Remembrance in the grounds Westminster Abbey. The Field - an annual event - brings serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans and Forces families together in the grounds of the Abbey remember friends, colleagues and loved ones who lost their lives in service. 2023 marks the Field's 95th anniversary.

Her Majesty spoke to veterans, Armed Forces personnel and Poppy Factory supporters at the event. 

Field of Remembrance

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.

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 the service of others. This year there are 308 plots including plots that Her Majesty is associated with including The Rifles, The Royal Lancers, The Grenadier Guards, The Royal Army Champlain’s Department, The Submariner Association (H.M.S. ASTUTE).

The Poppy Factory

Her Majesty The Queen has supported The Poppy Factory since 2013.

The Poppy Factory supports members of the Armed Forces community on their journey into employment, helping them overcome any barriers. Each year it helps hundreds of veterans to change their lives. This year it launched two new services – a pre-employment service and an employment service for families – helping even more members of the Armed Forces community across England and Wales.

The charity’s employment support for veterans with health conditions began at its factory in Richmond upon Thames, where members of the production team have been making Remembrance wreaths for The Royal British Legion and The Royal Family since 1922. Her Majesty The Queen visited the factory in November 2021 to open its new visitor centre.

Armistice Day

Commonwealth War Graves Commission announcement

Armistice Day began with the announcement that The Princess Royal will take over the Presidency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the organisation responsible for building and maintaining monuments and cemetaries across the Commonwealth which commemorate those who have died in conflict. The King will become Patron.

The Commission, created following the huge losses of the First World War, cares for many iconic monuments including The Cenotaph in London and The Menin Gate in Ypres.

Armistice Day Service

The Princess Royal attended the Service of Remembrance on the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The service, held on the anniversary of the signing of Armistice, commemorates all those who gave their lives in service since 1914.

The Festival of Remembrance

In the evening, members of the Royal Family gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance, organised by the British Legion. The annual event brings together performers, veterans, serving members of the Armed Forces and members of the public in a series of moving performances to mark Remembrance weekend. 

This year, the service pays tribute to the two million National Servicemen who served in the post-war years up until 1963, acknowledges the unique contribution of the Windrush Generation, and honours  those who served in the Battle of the Atlantic 80 years ago, the longest campaign of the Second World War.