It was a Remembrance Sunday like no other. Taking her place on the balcony overlooking the Cenotaph, Her Majesty the Queen led the nation in a socially distanced Remembrance Sunday service. Just 26 veterans were chosen for the eerily quiet service, which marks 100 years since the very first service in Whitehall.
As Big Ben struck 11 o’clock Britain observed two minutes of silence. Prince Charles laid the Queen’s wreath of poppies on behalf of the nation before laying his own. Prince William, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward also laid wreaths at the monument. There was no sign of Prince Andrew, who has been stripped of royal duties.
While the Queen was not wearing a mask as she stood socially distanced from Camilla and Kate on the balcony, she was seen wearing a mask for the first time in public on November 4 last week, when she attended what the Palace has described as a “deeply personal” service at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen paid her own tribute to those who have lost their lives in combat. As head of the Armed Forces the Queen is committed to the military community and continued the time-honored tradition started by her mother the Queen Mother in 1923, laying a floral tribute at the grave of the Unknown Warrior as a mark of respect to those who have died in war. This year, in a poignant and personal move, the bouquet was made to replicate her own wedding floral arrangement.
The Queen will not attend the Armistice Day service at the Abbey on November 11, following advice from her team of doctors. Instead Charles and Camilla will be attending on the Queen’s behalf. The Queen is isolating at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip, and while she is commuting to the capital to carry out some engagements her aides have advised that the 94-year-old monarch must not attend any big scale public events.
The Queen, who was criticized for not wearing a mask when she visited Salisbury last month with her grandson Prince William, chose to wear a black face mask for the first time in public when she visited the Abbey in private this week. Government restrictions require a mask to be worn in public places of worship, and the Queen cut a remarkable figure dressed head to toe in black, her face barely visible beneath the broad brim of her hat and behind her face mask.
The Dean of Westminster said that it was “wonderful to see the Queen in such good spirits and good health,” adding “it is very special of Her Majesty to do this given the current restrictions.” The only other person to attend the service was the Queen’s equerry.
The public were asked to stay away from Sunday’s Cenotaph service at the ceremony and instead encouraged to take part on social media using the tag #WeWillRememberThem.
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