Kate Middleton and Prince William joined King Charles and Queen Camilla in commemorating the sacrifices of the greatest generation.
Members of the British royal family marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 8 at a Service of Thanksgiving held at Westminster Abbey in London. The event, which took place exactly 80 years after the war was declared over, commemorated the fallen and those who fought and survived the six-year conflict.
Also among the royals in attendance – and arriving ahead of Charles and Camilla, William and Kate – were the King’s brother Prince Edward, his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the King’s sister Princess Anne, Anne’s husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
Taking their steps into the Abbey, the sun shining on William’s medals, Kate – in a white dress decorated with black polka dots – were greeted by the clergy, led by Rev. Dr. David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster. The King and Queen were heralded with a royal fanfare as they stepped through the West Door of the Abbey moments later.
The service began moments after 12 p.m. local time, when the chimes of Big Ben, nearby, sounded and the royal family joined the 1,800-strong congregation in a national two-minute silence to reflect on and remember the sacrifices and heroism of the armed forces and stoicism of ordinary people during the war. During the solemn moments, Princess Kate, 43, and Queen Camilla, 77, stood alongside the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, while King Charles, 76, and Prince William, 42, stood at its head, a few paces away.
Soon afterward, Charles, followed by William, laid wreaths at the Grave, which is a few yards inside the main West Door of the Abbey. Led by the clergy, the four royals then took part in a procession down the aisle of the Abbey.
The service ended with a resounding rendition of the national anthem, God Save The King — which alongside, the King, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate sung.
English