Royal Family Instagram account shares a selection of photos marking Remembrance Sunday service

The Royal Family Instagram account has shared a selection of photographs marking the tradition of British monarchs laying a wreath at the Cenotaph to mark King Charles III’ first Remembrance Sunday service as Monarch.

Shared in a post, the snaps capture His Majesty The King laying the wreath for the first time as Monarch today in London, while another image shows King George V, who unveiled the Cenotaph, also taking part in the tradition in 1920. 

While another picture showed a young Queen Elizabeth II laying the wreath at the annual Festival of Remembrance in 1954.

The Queen laid a wreath at The Cenotaph during the Remembrance Day ceremony at Whitehall in 1954

In another snap King George V, who unveiled the Cenotaph, also took part in the annual tradition in 1920 

The post read: ‘A Wreath is laid at the Cenotaph by His Majesty The King. This tradition was started by King George V in 1920, who unveiled the Cenotaph, and has been continued by every Monarch since.’

On 11 November 1920 King George V unveiled the Cenotaph, the national memorial to the ‘Glorious Dead’ of the 1914-1918 war.

Today King Charles placed a new poppy wreath incorporating a ribbon of his racing colours, with the design a tribute to the ones used by both his late mother and his grandfather George VI.

Meanwhile Big Ben chimed eleven times at 11am, as it returned to service after years of maintenance and repair.

As Charles led the nation at the Cenotaph for the first time as King, the service was likely a poignant moment for the Royal Family. In a moving ceremony on Friday, the late Queen and her commitment to war veterans was remembered in an evening attended by members of the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne.  

Today King Charles placed a new poppy wreath incorporating a ribbon of his racing colours, with the design a tribute to the ones used by both his late mother and his grandfather George VI (pictured)

The post read: ‘A Wreath is laid at the Cenotaph by His Majesty The King. This tradition was started by King George V in 1920, who unveiled the Cenotaph, and has been continued by every Monarch since.’

At around 10:40am, the march past the Cenotaph paused temporarily while Scottish members of the UK’s armed forces, the Fourth Battalion of Highlanders, played the bagpipes, accompanied by drums.

At 10.58am, the military parade was brought to attention as King Charles III arrived. Big Ben rang eleven times to mark the beginning of the two minutes of silence, and a sombre hush fell over the crowd.

After the two minutes of prayer and reflection had ended, in an emotional tribute to those killed during the wars of the last century, members of the military played the Last Post.  

King Charles III led other members of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales and Princess Royal, out to attend the Cenotaph service

The King was clearly emotional as he stepped into the role the late Queen Elizabeth II counted as one of her most important public duties

The Prince of Wales was the second person to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, which bore the feathers of the heir apparent

The Princess of Wales (left) and Queen Consort watch on and join in the emotional service, the first since the death of the late Elizabeth II

King Charles III then laid his wreath and saluted to the Cenotaph on behalf of the nation. 

A wreath was then laid on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen Consort, who was watching in a balcony alongside the Princess of Wales. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, also attended today’s event.

The Prince of Wales then proceeded to lay his wreath, complete with the feathers of the heir apparent. This was the wreath previously laid by his father. The wreath, bearing the colours of the Prince of Wales, also bears a brand-new ribbon in Welsh red.

The Earl of Wessex and Princess Royal then laid a wreath, before one was laid on behalf of the Duke of Kent.