Cambridges and Duke of Gloucester join Anzac Day commemorations

The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge and Duke of Gloucester joined Australians and New Zealanders to attend services commemorating Anzac Day.

The Duke of Gloucester attend the Dawn Service at the New Zealand Memorial at London’s Hyde Park Corner.

William took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, followed by a service of commemoration and thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

Anzac Day – April 25 – marks the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings and is a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand.

Thousands of Anzac troops – Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – died in the ill-fated 1915 campaign.

Waves of Allied forces launched an amphibious attack on the strategically crucial Turkish peninsula, which was vital in controlling the Dardanelles straits, the essential route to the Black Sea and Russia.

But the plan backed by Winston Churchill, then first lord of the admiralty, was flawed, and the campaign, which faced a heroic defence by the Turks, led to stalemate and withdrawal eight months later.

Its legacy is the celebration of the “Anzac spirit” – courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship – shown by the Antipodean troops.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have remembered this “gallant comradeship” in a message released ahead of Anzac Day.

The heir to the throne said in a statement: “As we pause to reflect on the sacrifice of the Armed Services personnel of Australia and New Zealand in two World Wars, and in other conflicts and peacekeeping operations, our thoughts will also be with those communities around the world who are being torn apart by violence and conflict, and those who are fighting for freedom in the face of oppression.”

The dawn service will include readings, the Last Post will be sounded by a bugler and wreaths will also be laid as it draws to a close.

William laid a wreath on behalf of the Queen at the Cenotaph. Hundreds will participate in a parade, including members of veterans’ associations, service and ex-service personnel and their families.

At the following Westminster Abbey service, the Dean of Westminster will give the address, and there will be readings from the New Zealand and Australian High Commissioners.

Children of each country will read prayers, and a Maori waiata, or song, performed by the London-based Ngati Ranana.

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