The Festival of Remembrance is one of the main events on the Royal Family’s calendar every November, a chance to pay tribute to the soldiers who have served and sacrificed their lives in service to Great Britain and the wider Commonwealth.
This year’s event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 13 November, with members of the Royal Family in attendance, though The Queen will miss it due to medical advice to rest.
Ahead of this weekend’s Festival of Remembrance, let’s explore what this poignant show is and its long history with the Royal Family.
The first Festival of Remembrance took place on Armistice Day 1923 and was called In Memory 1914-1918 – A Cenotaph In Sound, in aid of The British Legion, Field Marshal Earl Haig’s Appeal for Ex-Service Men of all Ranks.
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Since its creation by the Royal British Legion nearly 100 years ago, the Festival of Remembrance has taken place at Royal Albert Hall, and its first royal guest was the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII). Since 1927, the show has been broadcast by BBC Radio; it has been televised by BBC One as well.
The Festival underwent a name change in 1927, becoming known as the Remembrance Festival, and included, for the first time, The Last Post and God Save the King.
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In the ensuing years, the Festival of Remembrance has grown to become an annual service that pays tribute to those who have died in the line of duty while serving in England and across the Commonwealth. Originally, the show only paid tribute to those who perished during the First World War but has evolved to remember those who have perished in later conflicts.
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In 1971, the Royal British Legion gained its Royal prefix, and the name was again changed: the show has since been known as the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. All three branches of the military – Army, Navy, and Air Force – are represented in the show.
The Queen attended the Festival of Remembrance for the first time on 8 November 1952, the year of her accession, and has regularly attended with the wider Royal Family in the decades since.
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The 2021 Festival of Remembrance will mark a century of collective national Remembrance traditions and will pay tribute, according to the Royal Albert Hall website, “the military and civilian, the old and young, and the British and Commonwealth men and women who have fought wars, disasters and pandemics to protect and defend Britain.”
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Featured performers include Alfie Boe, Cynthia Erivo, Gregory Porter and Alexandra Burke; broadcaster Huw Edwards will host.
