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Last night, the Royal Family attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, which was broadcast live on BBC One.

The Royal Family sat in the Royal Box with Her Majesty The Queen at the front alongside the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Other members of the family in attendance included Princess Anne and her husband, Timothy Laurence; the Duke of York; Earl and Countess of Wessex; Prince Michael of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent.

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While the Duke of Edinburgh was absent from this year’s service, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their inaugural appearance.

Prime Minister Theresa May sat alongside the royals in the section next to the Royal Box with her husband, Philip.

The Festival included performances by the Combined Bands of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces; Sir Tom Jones and the Royal Air Force Squadronaires; and Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones and the Central Band of the RAF.

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Flags from each of the Commonwealth nations appeared on stage, and the Kingdom Choir, who also performed at Harry and Meghan’s May wedding, sang “The Lord’s Prayer.”

The Torch of Remembrance was carried into Royal Albert Hall by Flight-Lieutenant Matthew Smith, and 97-year-old veteran Bomber Command Colin Bell DFC read the citation.

The year the Festival of Remembrance paid tribute to the late Corporal Sarah Bryant, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. Her parents, Des and Maureen, lead other bereaved families onto the stage in a touching moment that included a standing ovation.

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As tomorrow, 11 November, marks the centenary of the end of World War One, the Festival of Remembrance paid tribute to those who fought in the Great War. Thos in the audience held up a photograph of a soldier who took part in the First World War.

At the end of the Festival of Remembrance, there was a moment of silence on the eve of Armistice Day with poppies falling from the ceiling. The National Anthem was then played as the evening came to an end.

About author

Brittani is from Tennessee, USA. She is a political scientist and historian after graduating with a degree in the topics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in December 2014. She also holds a master's degree from Northeastern University. She enjoys reading and researching all things regarding the royals of the world. She's been researching, reading, and writing on royalty for over a decade. She became Europe Editor in October 2016, and then Deputy Editor in January 2019, and has been featured on several podcasts, radio shows, news broadcasts and websites including Global News Canada, ABC News Australia, WION India and BBC World News.