Queen 'utterly determined' to attend Remembrance Sunday

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The Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph is attended by politicians, members of the Royal Family and the Queen every year. The day marks a national moment of reflection for the people who lost their lives in World War 1 and World War 2, and the day is known to hold a special place in the Queen’s heart. But as the Queen has cancelled several engagements on doctor’s orders in recent weeks, her attendance at the Remembrance Sunday service this weekend remains uncertain.

As Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces, Remembrance Sunday is incredibly important to the Queen.

Buckingham Palace released a statement earlier this month stating that it was the Queen’s “firm intention” to attend the Remembrance Sunday service this year.

But the Queen will be missing the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday, following advice from doctors last month that the monarch should rest.

If the Queen does miss this year’s Remembrance Sunday, it will be only the seventh time in her near seven-decade long reign that the Queen has missed the event.

Why has the Queen missed previous Remembrance Sundays?

The Queen has appeared at most of the Remembrance Sunday events held during her reign.

But she has previously not attended six services due to pregnancy, or because she was away travelling and could not attend.

Some engagements to mark the run-up to Remembrance Sunday have taken place when royals have been overseas.

The Royal Family website explains: “The Queen and Members of the Royal Family attended a number of engagements each year in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday.

“These include the annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall and the opening of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

“Engagements sometimes take place overseas: in 2014 when Prince Harry laid a wreath with troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan.”

At the time, Prince Harry was serving with the Army in Afghanistan.

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Why is Remembrance Sunday so important to the Royal Family?

Every year, the Royal Family plays a key role in the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.

The Queen lays a wreath of poppies at the Cenotaph, and her departure after the service is marked by a slow procession of war veterans past the memorial.

Another member of the Royal Family will then take the salute when the veterans finish marching.

The Queen is known to attach great importance to Remembrance Sunday, as the monarch lived through World War 2 during the reign of her father, King George VI.

Then-Princess Elizabeth worked as a driver and a mechanic in the Women’s Auxiliary Territory Service during World War 2.

Several members of the Queen’s family have also served in military roles, including her late husband Prince Philip, who served in the Royal Navy during the war.

The Queen’s grandson Prince Harry also served in the Army in Afghanistan, while the Queen’s son Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War.

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