Remembrance Day LIVE: Veterans prepare to march past the Cenotaph after King Charles and Royal Family lay wreaths honouring those killed in conflict

The current and former Prime Ministers have gathered together to pay their respects in central London.

Veterans of the Second World War have been applauded as they arrived at the Remembrance Sunday service.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the annual Royal British Legion’s march-past, including about three D-Day veterans among the 20 Second World War veterans marking 80 years since the conflict ended in 1945.

Around a dozen people wearing military uniforms and poppies were pushed in wheelchairs in Whitehall while respectful applause rang out near the Cenotaph and one of the veterans saluted.

Among those set to march is 101-year-old Donald Poole, a Royal Army Ordnance Corps technician who handled defective explosives or enemy ammunition.

Originally from Bromley, Kent, he was serving in India in 1945 when Japan’s surrender was announced, sparking an impromptu celebration.

He said: ‘It is a great honour to be able to pay tribute to the poor souls who have died in all conflicts and I know how lucky I am to still be here thanks to all those who have fought and served, past and present.

‘I also want to pay tribute to the civilian services who suffered during the Second World War, particularly the fire service, who saved so many lives during the Blitz – many of whom lost their own.’

The Princess of Wales waved as she arrived in central London for today’s Remembrance Sunday.

Catherine’s husband Prince William is also set to attend alongside his father King Charles, who will lead the service in a two-minute silence at 11am.

Kate looked elegant in a black hat and jacket, which she paired with stylish drop earrings.

The Band of the Royal Marines just marched on Whitehall ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London.

Sir Keir has stepped out with his wife Victoria Starmer for the service of remembrance at the Cenotaph on Whitehall today.

Politicians have started turning up at London’s Remembrance Sunday service on Whitehall this morning, including Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan.

Sir Keir Starmer’s deputy David Lammy also looked in high spirits as he made an appearance.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past through Whitehall today, alongside around 20 World War Two veterans.

Many arrived near the Cenotaph in central London this morning, hours ahead of the service as they prepared to pay their respects to those who courageously fought for their country.

Sir Keir Starmer has taken to X to pay tribute to those who ‘served and sacrificed for our country’.

It comes after the Prime Minister released a statement ahead of today’s commemorations, in which he said: ‘This Remembrance Sunday, we pause as a nation to honour all those who have served our country.

‘We reflect on the extraordinary courage of our armed forces in the world wars and subsequent conflicts, whose service secured the freedoms we cherish today.

‘Eighty years since the end of the Second World War, we remember a generation who stood against tyranny and shaped our future. Their legacy is peace and our duty is to protect it.

‘Such sacrifice deserves more than silence, which is why this Government remains committed to supporting veterans, their families and those who serve.

‘Today, we remember, and we renew our promise to uphold the values they fought for.’

Veterans gathered in London this morning ahead of the Royal British Legion’s March past the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday.

Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) veterans looked in high spirits as they posed for a photograph in their uniforms ahead of the service.

People arrived early on Whitehall this morning ahead of the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in London.

Some dressed up in Union Jack and poppy-themed outfits to pay their respects.

King Charles will lead the nation in a two-minute silence at 11am to remember those who died in conflict.

The monarch will lay a wreath at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London, where he will be joined by other senior royals and politicians including Sir Keir Starmer.

Services will also take place across the country to honour the fallen, with this year’s Armistice Day marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

Some 10,000 armed forces veterans will take part in the Royal British Legion’s march-past through Whitehall, alongside about 20 Second World War veterans.

Last night, Charles appeared visibly moved by a heartfelt rendition of God Save the King at the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance.

‘If I should die, think only this of me: That there’s some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England.’

That, as generations of Britons have come to know, is the tingling opening line to Rupert Brooke’s The Soldier, which he wrote in the early days of the First World War.

Now, 107 years on from the end of the devastating conflict, Brooke’s verses and those of dozens of other acclaimed war poets have been paired with hugely moving images that reveal two different sides to the war.

The painstakingly restored photos, from the archive of the Daily Mail, were taken both on the Western Front and back in Britain, where millions of women took up vital jobs that had been vacated by men who had been sent to fight.

Read the full Daily Mail article here: