The Queen on Thursday made a touching tribute to the fallen at the opening of the 95th Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.
On her first visit to the Abbey since her Coronation in May, Queen Camilla looked solemn as she took part in the annual ceremony commemorating the nation's war dead.
She placed her small wooden cross, bearing her cypher and the words “In Remembrance” into a large cross made of poppies, in front of a plot marked with two wooden crosses from the graves of unknown British soldiers from the First and Second World Wars.
The plot also features smaller crosses dedicated to more recent conflicts, including Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands.
Her gesture came after prayers led by the Dean of Westminster Dr David Hoyle and the Right Reverend Anthony Ball.
Some 40,000 other tributes, encompassing symbols of all faiths and none, had been laid out by volunteers ahead of the ceremony, where veterans and other guests had gathered to remember loved ones and former comrades.
Shortly before 11am, the Last Post was sounded by a bugler from the Scots Guards on the parapet of St Margaret’s Church and Surgeon Rear Admiral Lionel Jarvis, President of the Poppy Factory read the exhortation to remembrance.
The Queen bowed her head during a two minute silence, punctuated by the chimes of Big Ben marking 11amand followed by the Reveille.
Wearing a green Rifles coat designed by Fiona Clare paired with a cape from Amanda Wakeley, she then met members of the Abbey staff and representatives from The Poppy Factory, which has organised the service annually since 1928.
Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veterans Affairs, was also among the guests. Camilla then joined the Abbey’s senior verger Nigel Harris and High Bailiff Sir Kenneth Olisa for a tour of the 308 plots.
The group also included Surgeon Rear Admiral Lionel Jarvis, Vice Admiral Sir Clive Johnstone, National president of the Royal British Legion and Al Kett, chairman of the Poppy Factory.
In total Camilla spent around 35 minutes meeting veterans and other guests and couldn't resist stopping to pat five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Watchman VI, the regimental mascot of the Staffordshire Regimental Association.
Speaking after the visit, the Dean of Westminster said of the Queen: "She's marvellous. She's deeply committed to this job - she's only sorry she can't stay longer.
"That act of remembrance is deeply serious and deeply sombre, but there's a lot of joy and hope in this commmunity, so she was enjoying that."
Amanda Shepard, chief executive of the Poppy Factory, said: "It was a great honour to have Her Majesty The Queen attend the Field of Remembrance once again, 95 years since a group of veterans from our factory first planted poppies in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.
"Their intention was to publicly honour those who have given their lives in the service of others. It is vital that we continue to do so, and to offer an opportunity for people of all faiths and none to place their own personal tributes.
"We are very grateful to Her Majesty for attending today, and for her longstanding and continued support for our charity as we work to help more members of the armed forces community overcome barriers and move forward towards a more positive future through employment."
