Royals and service chiefs mark sacrifice at moving Festival of Remembrance
The Royal Family led by the King saluted the sacrifice of Britain's war dead and injured at the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
A pageant of music, memories and tributes marked the 80th anniversary of the battles of D-Day, Monte Cassino, Imphal and Kohima, Op Market Garden and the Scheldt.
A special tribute was also paid to the role played by those serving in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
The King was joined by the Princess of Wales, who was making a rare appearance after cancer treatment, Prince William, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Of notable absence was the Queen, who was unwell with a chest infection.
There was a moving film showing the comradery of the battlefield shared by Rifleman Alex Lowe and medic Hayley Lawrence, who treated Alex when he was hit in Afghanistan, and was injured herself.
The pair were given the honour of carrying a book of remembrance as the final act of the service.
Alex, who served with the 1st Battalion The Rifles, said: "It was unbelievable to see the standing ovation from the whole crowd as soon as the curtain came open.
"Carrying that book with so many names in it that mean a lot to different people out there was indescribable.
"I wanted to deliver it as best as I could for the whole audience, for who it means the most to."
Reflecting on his own service, Alex said: "I was in the Army in The Rifles 1st Battalion and did two operational tours, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, where I was sadly injured.
"We lost our lieutenant, whose name was in the book that I carried tonight."
The Royals, along with the Prime Minister and service chiefs, enjoyed an evening of music from military bands to Tom Jones and Alexandra Burke.
As the festival, which is organised by the Royal British Legion, drew to a close, serving personnel gave three cheers to the King, who waved to the crowd after the national anthem before joining his family in standing in silence as the Last Post was played and poppy petals fell from the ceiling.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
