The Duke of Kent has continued his longstanding Remembrance Sunday tradition, watching as his equerry laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on his behalf.
The 91-year-old royal attended the National Service of Remembrance in Whitehall on Sunday, 8 November, joining other members of the Royal Family in honouring Britain’s war dead.
His Royal Highness watched the ceremony from the left balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, alongside Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The Duke’s wreath was laid by his equerry, Captain Thomas Baker-Cresswell of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Carabiniers and Greys.
The occasion holds particular significance for the Duke, who spent 21 years serving in the Armed Forces, both in the United Kingdom and overseas.
After graduating from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1955, His Royal Highness was commissioned into the Royal Scots Greys as a Second Lieutenant.
He served with the regiment for more than 20 years, including postings in Hong Kong, Cyprus and Northern Ireland.
In 1971, the Royal Scots Greys amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards), forming the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
The Duke retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1976. He was subsequently awarded the honorary rank of Major General in 1983 and Field Marshal in 1993.
His Royal Highness remains closely associated with the regiment, serving as its Deputy Colonel-in-Chief.
The Duke also has a longstanding connection to the Scots Guards, having served as Colonel of the regiment from 1974 until April 2024.
He handed over the appointment to the Duke of Edinburgh, bringing an end to a remarkable 50-year association with the regiment.
Remembrance Sunday remains an important occasion for the Duke, who has continued to attend the national commemorations in recent years.
In 2023, His Royal Highness was unable to attend the ceremony due to mobility issues. He returned to the Cenotaph in 2024, when his equerry, Lieutenant Pieter Myburgh, laid a wreath on his behalf.
This year’s ceremony saw the Duke once again represented by an officer from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the regiment with which he has such a longstanding personal connection.
