Royal Pearls and Badges on Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph

This morning in London, the British royals joined the rest of the nation in honoring wartime sacrifices and contributions of generations past and present at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

King Charles III led the royal party at the Cenotaph during this morning’s National Service of Remembrance in Whitehall. He was joined by his son, the Prince of Wales; his sister, the Princess Royal; and his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh during the service. Originally an Armistice Day commemoration of those lost during World War I, the service has evolved over the decades to honor the contributions of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and in later conflicts.

The King placed the first wreath at the Cenotaph during the service. The war memorial was unveiled on November 11, 1920 by Charles’s great-grandfather, King George V, during the procession to Westminster Abbey ahead of the state funeral service for the Unknown Warrior.

The British royals have been mainstays at the annual service during the past century, with many more members of the family watching from balconies above. Queen Camilla, pictured here during today’s service, wore a favorite pair of pearl drop earrings and a four-row pearl necklace with a round diamond clasp for the occasion.

The Queen secured a trio of paper poppies—representing the three branches of the British Armed Forces—with a meaningful brooch. It is the badge of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, with whom her late father, Major Bruce Shand, served during World War II. Queen Camilla is now the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Lancers.

Beside the Queen, the Princess of Wales wore a pair of classic diamond and pearl drop earrings. These were given by Collingwood to the late Diana, Princess of Wales as an engagement present in 1981.

With her trio of paper poppies, Catherine wore a brooch commissioned for her use in 2025. It was made by the Scottish firm James Porter & Son to coincide with her role as sponsor of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Glasgow.

On a nearby balcony, the Duchess of Edinburgh watched the service alongside the Duke of Kent and the Princess Royal’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

Sophie also wore three paper poppies on her coat for the service. Below them, she pinned the badge of the Royal Irish Regiment, for whom she has served as Colonel-in-Chief since 2023.