Leaders pay their respects to war dead at Cenotaph

Prime Minister David Cameron was the first politician to lay a wreath, followed by Jeremy Corbyn who was wearing a poppy, and participated in the singing of the national anthem.

Both Philip and Harry laid their crosses of remembrance in front of two wooden crosses from the graves of unknown British soldiers from the First and Second World Wars.

The ceremony was slightly shorter this year, after arrangements were made to make things easier on the ageing war veterans who come together for Remembrance Sunday services.

She was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, other senior royals and members of the leading political parties at the Cenotaph in central London.

Queen Elizabeth II led millions of Britons as they fell silent to honour members of the Commonwealth’s armed forces killed in conflict at the annual Remembrance Sunday service.

The service ended with several Christian hymns, prayers and blessings before the audience were invited to sing God Save the Queen.

Before the service he said: “To take those few steps in their honour and all the others that paid the ultimate sacrifice, it will mean the world to me”.

And there will be a strong regal presence when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attend the Cenotaph for the traditional Remembrance Sunday service.

Meanwhile, in Liverpool, thousands of ceramic poppies have been draped down St George’s Hall.

Falling poppies will be projected onto the Big Ben from dusk.

Highlights included a reading from 94-year-old veteran Bob Hucklesby, of Dorset, who served with the 560th Field Company Royal Engineers and spent four years in a Japanese camp. “If you ever gave up, you were dead”.

The Book of Remembrance was delivered to the stage by Corporal Anna Cross, a reservist with the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps who recently travelled to Sierra Leone to help with the devastating Ebola crisis.

Last year marked 100 years since WWI started and this year will also mark a significant anniversary, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain (when the RAF defended Britain from an onslaught of German bombers).