Carla La Tella
International Travel

Duchess Camilla honours family tradition begun by Prince Philip

Image: Getty

The Duchess of Cornwall has carried on a tradition started by her late father-in-law Prince Philip on the first Remembrance Day since his death.

Camilla laid flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior inside Westminster Abbey after the Remembrance Day service.

This was a nod to a tradition set by the Duke of Edinburgh, a member of the Royal Navy naval officer, on occasions when the Field of Remembrance is officially opened on Remembrance Day.

The field of Remembrance began in 1928 by the founder of the British Legion Poppy Factory and is opened annually at this time of year, allowing for tributes written on crosses to those who lost their life in service.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who was representing the Royal Family, officially opened the 93rd Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday after being greeted by the Dean of Westminster and escorted by Surgeon Rear Admiral Jarvis throughout the service.

The Duchess stood in front of two wooden crosses from the Graves of Unknown British soldiers from the First and Second World Wars, where The Dean offered prayers.

The Duchess then lay a Cross of Remembrance as the Last Post sounded, followed by a two-minute silence.

Earlier in the week, Camilla helped put the finishing touches to her custom-made Remembrance cross, adding a poppy to the offering during a visit to the recently refurbished Poppy Factory on Tuesday.

The Duchess, who is Patron of the charity and last visited in 2013, was shown a selection of royal wreaths and cabinet displays of the Poppy Factory's 99-year history. The Poppy Factory was founded in 1922 to provide employment for veterans injured in the First World War.

Camilla met with veteran production staff and the specialist royal wreath makers Peter Wills and Paul Hammerton.

Tags:
Camilla, Prince Philip, tradition, UK, Rememberance Day