Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
The Duchess of Edinburgh represented the Royal Family at Monday’s Armistice Service at the National Memorial Arboretum.
During the service, Sophie read an extract from ‘For the Fallen’, a remembrance poem by Lawrence Binyon and laid a wreath on behalf of the royals.
Sophie was accompanied by government and military representatives at the ceremony. According to the National Memorial Arboretum social media, the service was open to “dignitaries, senior representatives of the UK Armed Forces, and veterans and their families.”
At the National Memorial Arboretum, Sophie sported three poppies and the regimental brooch of The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief.
Sophie holds several military appointments—and attended a Remembrance event in Canada last November through her role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
The wreath Sophie laid included a handwritten note: “In memory of the fallen.”
Following the service, Sophie took a tour of the National Memorial Arboretum.
The National Memorial Arboretum was opened in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II. The memorial was designed so that at 11:00 am on 11 November every year, a light would break through and shine upon a bronze wreath in the centre of the memorial.
It’s been a busy weekend for Sophie. On Saturday evening she attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. On Remembrance Sunday, she attended the Cenotaph ceremony, standing on the centre balcony with the Princess of Wales as they observed the service.