Prince George joins King and Queen for Festival of Remembrance

Prince George and the Princess of Wales joined the King and Queen at the Festival of Remembrance.

It was the first time the 12-year-old, and second-in-line to the throne, had attended the service at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Prince George (second left) sits in the royal box alongside his mother, Catherine, Princess of Wales, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (back, right), Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (far left).Credit: Getty Images

He has previously attended the VE Day 80 military procession with his parents and siblings, and met World War II veterans at Buckingham Palace in May.

Prince George is being gradually eased into royal life, with several public appearances scheduled for this year.

His parents fiercely shield their children’s privacy, but they are also aware of the need to introduce them to public life.

The crowd at the Royal Albert Hall in London stood as the family entered to a trumpeters’ fanfare and took their seats in the royal box.

The Princess of Wales, wearing a black dress with a white collar by Alessandra Rich, an HMS Glasgow brooch and earrings belonging to the late Queen, was seated next to her son. The dress was adorned with a handmade poppy crafted from silk, glass, and other natural materials by Izzy Ager of Lock and Co.

Second-in-line to the throne, George is being slowly introduced to public life by his parents.Credit: Getty Images

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took his seat alongside his wife, Victoria, shortly before the royal family arrived.

This year, the festival commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and was hosted by Hannah Waddingham, star of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso.

It was also marking the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel serving openly in the British armed forces.

Loading

The Festival of Remembrance featured performances from Sir Rod Stewart, accompanied by the RAF Squadronaires, as well as the Massed Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines, the Household Division and the RAF.

Musical performances were interspersed with reflections from veterans and tributes to the fallen, with a special focus on the resilience and strength shown by military children who have faced bereavement.

The royal family will attend a series of Remembrance Day events in the coming days.

On Sunday, the King will lead commemorations at the annual Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph, where he will lay a wreath, accompanied by the Prince of Wales. The King was announced as a patron of the Royal British Legion last year.

The Queen and the Princess of Wales will also attend, watching the ceremony from a balcony overlooking the monument. The Queen was forced to miss Remembrance events last year as she recovered from a chest infection.

The Princess Royal, who is on an official visit to Australia and Singapore, will attend a Remembrance Service and lay a wreath at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney.

Anne, the Princess Royal, visits war graves in Sydney’s Rookwood Cemetery on Saturday.

Prince George was last seen in public watching the Wimbledon men’s final alongside his parents and sister, Princess Charlotte, on July 13.

In June, the three Wales children took part in Trooping the Colour, the King’s official birthday parade, riding in the carriage procession before joining their family on the Buckingham Palace balcony to view the fly-past.

Loading

The royal family stood and clapped as the Chelsea Pensioners in red uniforms entered the auditorium and marched across the stage, while an orchestra performed a rendition of The Boys Of The Old Brigade.

The Princess of Wales was seen saying a few words to her son and pointing things out to him as Sir Rod Stewart performed Sentimental Journey.

Prince George watched intently as emotional videos were played of veterans speaking about their experiences and paying tribute to their lost friends and comrades.

Waddingham, wearing a long purple dress and a poppy, performed We’ll Meet Again and spoke of the courage of her granddad, a veteran, as she addressed the audience.

Veterans in attendance at the event included those who had helped to plan D-Day, some who had been prisoners of war and others who had survived direct hits at sea.

The Prince of Wales was not in attendance on Saturday.

He has spent the week in Brazil championing environmental causes, including the presentation of the Earthshot Prize and attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Most Viewed in World

Loading