Queen Camilla is honoring those who have lost their lives in war.
On Thursday, the Queen Consort attended the 94th year of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, a tribute to honor and remember those who died while serving in the armed forces.
This marks Camilla's third time appearing at the Field of Remembrance. Prince Philip was the usual royal family to attend the somber gathering in the 2000s until he retired from royal duty in 2016, when Prince Harry traditionally attended the annual event after previously joining his grandfather on several occasions.
In 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle represented the royal family at the field. (That year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been scheduled to be joined by Camilla, but she was forced to pull out because of a chest infection.)
Queen Camilla, 75, wore a red poppy pin, as she and other members of the royal family have been doing since the start of the month ahead of Remembrance Day. Each November, the accessory becomes a key piece of the royal family's wardrobe. The poppy has been used since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in wars.
The pins are sold in the U.K. by the Royal British Legion to help raise money for veterans.
The poppy symbol is believed to have come from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, a poem about World War I. The opening stanza reads:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
In 1928, Major George Howson MC suggested using land outside Westminster Abbey as a place where anyone could plant a poppy in memory of a loved one, creating the tradition.
Queen Camilla is patron of the Poppy Factory, which has been running the Field of Remembrance since 1928. The Poppy Factory has been making the commemorative poppies for The Royal British Legion and the Royal Family since 1922, and it also supports veterans with mental or physical health conditions back into work throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Members of the public can visit the field until Nov. 20.
The Queen Consort has arrived at Westminster Abbey to take part in the Field of Remembrance service this morning. pic.twitter.com/AOiGrxknTH
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 10, 2022
Following tradition, members of the royal family will participate in several events honoring military personnel this month. The events culminate with the National Service of Remembrance, also known as Remembrance Sunday, when they will gather for a ceremony at The Cenotaph war memorial in London.
Last year, Queen Elizabeth missed the Remembrance Day service due to a sprained back. She was said by a royal source to be "deeply disappointed," as she regards the moving ceremony as "one of the most significant engagements of the year." Her son Charles, who became King Charles III following her death on Sept. 8, placed a wreath at the memorial on the Queen's behalf.
This year will mark the first Remembrance Sunday since Queen Elizabeth's death and King Charles' accession to the throne.
