Fallen commemorated at Remembrance Sunday events across the country

  • Video report by ITV News Correspondent Lucy Watson

The royal family have led solemn tributes to the nation's war dead at the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in central London.

Thousands more events took place at war memorials across the country/

As the nation held a two-minutes silence to remember the fallen at 11am, a gentle shower of poppies fell over the famous White Cliffs of Dover, the 750,000 flowers were released by a battle-scarred Second World War Dakota plane.

At the annual service at the Cenotaph, a uniformed Prince of Wales was the first to place a wreath of poppies at the foot of the memorial on behalf of the Queen who watched the ceremony from a nearby balcony.

Leaders from the main political parties took a break from the election campaign trail to join a crowd of thousands for the occasion on Whitehall in the heart of the capital.

  • Watch the commemoration event at the Cenotaph in central London

The Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Sussex, Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Kent all also laid wreaths at the base of the memorial.

The Queen, dressed in black, looked on from a balcony of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, flanked by the Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Cornwall.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex viewed the event from a separate balcony with the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

Kate, William, Harry and Meghan made a rare public outing together after Harry and his wife admitted in a documentary they were struggling with public life and that the brothers were on "different paths".

The four were reunited in public for the first time since the comments at the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday night.

The Queen watched the memorial from a balcony above the service with the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge. Credit: PA

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stood side by side during the commemorative proceedings on Sunday.

The pair were joined in laying wreaths by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, the DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds and newly elected Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Five former prime ministers - Sir John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May - as well as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, were also present to pay their respects.

An equerry laid a wreath on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh who was not present at the ceremony for the second year in a row after having retired from royal duties in 2017.

Prince Charles laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen. Credit: PA

More than 800 armed forces personnel congregated on Whitehall to form a hollow square around the Cenotaph.

As Big Ben struck 11am, the traditional two-minute silence was observed by dignitaries and the crowd of thousands of poppy-wearers lined up along Whitehall.

The start and end of the short period of reflection for those killed in conflicts past and present was marked by the firing of a gun by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, positioned on Horse Guards Parade.

This year marks 100 years since the first two-minute silence was observed on Armistice Day on November 11, 1919.

Hundreds of veterans and armed forces personnel are at the memorial event. Credit: PA

Buglers of the Royal Marines sounded the Last Post before wreaths were laid by the royal family, politicians and a host of representatives from Commonwealth nations.

For the first time, the Ambassador of Nepal placed a wreath in honour of the contribution Gurkha regiments have made to Britain's military campaigns for the past 200 years.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Home Secretary Priti Patel laid wreaths on behalf of the intelligence services.

It is also the first time the services have been honoured in this way, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the 110th anniversaries of the Security Service (MI5) and Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

As well as current political leaders, five former prime ministers were also in attendance. Credit: PA

A host of military and foreign representatives also laid wreaths by the Cenotaph, while other Cabinet ministers and religious leaders were in attendance.

After the wreaths were laid, the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, led a short service of remembrance which ended with trumpeters of the Royal Air Force sounding Rouse (Reveille) and the singing of the national anthem.

Members of the Royal family watched from balconies above Whitehall. Credit: PA

Following the ceremony, up to 10,000 veterans and servicemen and women marched past the Cenotaph to honour the fallen.

In a decade-long tradition, London black cabs were on hand on Sunday to provide free transport to participating veterans from the capital's main train stations to Whitehall as a mark of thanks for their service.

The Queen and members of the Royal Family in the royal box at the annual Festival of Remembrance. Credit: PA

As the thousands of poppies were released above the Dover coastline, down below, hundreds of people packed the Battle of Britain memorial, at the edge of the same White Cliffs that formed a welcoming sight for hundreds of thousands of soldiers returning from Dunkirk in 1940.

The Dakota, a veteran of D-Day, was flanked by two Spitfires as it flew low over the Kent coastline.

Five veterans - including RAF servicemen who served in the Second World War - were aboard to oversee the poppy drop.

The aircraft flew past at an altitude of just 500ft, with the bio-degradable poppies released as it passed over the memorial.

After several passes over the packed crowds below, the three-aircraft formation turned and headed along the coast before heading back to North Weald Airfield in Essex where the Dakota is based.

Second World War veteran Warrant Officer Roy Briggs was one of those who went up in the Dakota on Sunday.

World War Two veterans Roy Briggs (left) and George Prichard on board the Dakota. Credit: PA

He served as a wireless operator on Lancaster aircraft with 576 squadron, conducting raids at Plauen and Bremen.

The 94-year-old great-grandfather said the touching poppy drop tribute was as much as anyone could do and that he spent the flight thinking of a Lancaster crew he knew, who all lost their lives during a wartime mission.

He said: "I am 94 and they are still 20 and 21.

"They will never be anything else to me."

The cenotaph in Enniskillen where a memorial event was held. Credit: PA

In Enniskillen, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar joined Northern Ireland Secretary Julien Smith and DUP leader Arlene Foster attended a Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Enniskillen.

Northern Ireland Secretary Julien Smith, DUP leader Arlene Foster and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at a Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Enniskillen. Credit: PA