Queen follows Cenotaph service on TV and observes two-minute silence at home
Camilla is recovering from a chest infection after falling ill following her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa.
The Queen watched the moving Remembrance Sunday service from home while she recuperates from a chest infection.
Camilla observed the two minutes’ silence privately as she followed the proceedings live on television at Raymill, her Wiltshire house, after doctors ordered her to miss the annual ceremony.
She was said to be disappointed not to be able to join the royal family including the King and the Princess of Wales at the Cenotaph to see the veterans parade in remembrance of the servicemen and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Royal doctors ruled out her attendance during the commemorative weekend, urging Camilla to take a few more days rest to fully recover after she caught a seasonal bug following her long-haul trip to Australia and Samoa.
There was also concern she might pass on the illness to others, with the King still undergoing treatment from cancer, and Kate recovering from the disease.
Camilla’s wreath, as is the custom even if she had attended, was placed at the Cenotaph on her behalf by her equerry Major Ollie Plunket, of The Rifles.
On it was a handwritten tribute from the Queen which read “In everlasting remembrance” and was signed “Camilla R”.
The ring of poppies closely resembles the one used for Charles’s late beloved grandmother, the Queen Mother.
The 95 closed-style poppy petals are made from bonded fabric and mounted on an arrangement of black leaves.
The ribbon across the middle takes its brown, red and yellow colour from Camilla’s racing silk.
Major Plunket placed the wreath to the right of the King’s, before stepping back to salute the monument.
The Queen is said to have dearly wanted to pay tribute in person to the nation’s war dead this weekend.
The service at the Cenotaph is an important fixture in the royal calendar and holds deep personal meaning for Camilla, through her official connections to the armed forces, and because of her late father Major Bruce Shand’s military service.
But royal doctors ordered her to have another few days’ rest to get back to full strength, meaning she also missed the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening.
The Queen plans to return to London early next week if given medical clearance.
She has a number of engagements in her diary, including a Booker Prize event at Clarence House on Tuesday, a Palace reception celebrating the TV and film industry and a night out with the King at the star-studded global premiere of Gladiator II on Wednesday.
Thursday is also the King’s 76th birthday.
