It comes after Royals attended the annual Festival of Remembrance last night, where Prince George made his debut, and a weeks of headlines surrounding the now non-titled Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
His Majesty led the royal party onto the street of Whitehall, just a few hundred metres from both Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, just before 11am, when a two-minute silence was held to honour the war dead from the First World War onwards.
The Queen and Princess of Wales observed the events from the balcony of the Foreign Office, flanked by The Duchess of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and The Duke of Kent on other balconies.
Notably absent from this year’s event was Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence. The pair paid their respects by attending a Remembrance Service and lay a wreath at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia as part of a wider visit to mark a century since the Royal Australian Corps of Signals was formed.
Charles’ wreath, laid first as Sovereign and Head of the Armed Forces.
The design of His Majesty’s wreath paid tribute to the wreath of George VI and Elizabeth II. The poppies were mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, as per tradition for the Sovereign, and its ribbon bore The King’s racing colours of scarlet, purple and gold.
The King wore his uniform as Marshal of the Royal Air Force with a ceremonial frock coat of the winter.
His was followed by one from Queen Camilla, which carried her racing colours, inherited from her grandfather, and echoes the wreath of the Queen Mother.
Prince William and his own wreath followed, with The Prince of Wales wearing his Royal Air Force uniform in the rank of Wing Commander.
The Duke of Edinburgh, in his Royal Honorary Colonel of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry uniform, was next in the order.
A wreath was also laid on behalf of The Duke of Kent, who – now 90 – uses a walking stick.
The royal wreaths were followed by those from political leaders, including the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the Home Secretary, the leaders of the devolved nations (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Commonwealth representatives and former Prime Ministers.
Ahead of the service, veterans wearing poppies were pushed in wheelchairs in Whitehall while respectful applause rang out near the Cenotaph.
Amazingly, 80 years on from D-Day, three veterans of the evacuation were among the Second World War personnel in attendance at Whitehall.
After the service, The Duke of Edinburgh took the salute on Horseguards Parade.
