- Published
King Charles III led the nation in a solemn two-minute silence on Remembrance Sunday in London to honour veterans who had died in conflict.
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who → publish → conflict
On a stone-grey autumn morning, he laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in Whitehall before a march-past by 10,000 armed forces veterans.
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he → lay → veterans
That included a shrinking number of World War Two veterans, with 12 taking part this year, including 103-year-old Annie Duplock, who described it as a "very emotional day".
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who → include → day
Meanwhile, the number of former prime ministers reached a record high, with nine lined up to lay wreaths, while Andy Burnham attended for the first time as the current occupant of No 10 Downing Street.
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Burnham → reach → Street
And for the first time, the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, had enough MPs in Parliament to qualify to lay a wreath alongside other major party leaders.
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leader → have → leaders
The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal were among royals in attendance, along with military chiefs, senior politicians, diplomats and faith leaders, watched by big crowds squeezed behind railings along Whitehall.
Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales watched from a balcony above the Cenotaph in the Foreign Office.
Among the flags on the roof of that Whitehall building was the Ukrainian blue and yellow.
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blue → watch → building
It went up when Russia invaded and four years later it is now visibly frayed - a reminder of the length of that war and of current threats.
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it → go → threats
At 11:00 GMT, as the first strike of Big Ben echoed from the nearby Houses of Parliament, the big two-minute silence filled the usually frenetic streets, before the playing of the Last Post.
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silence → echo → Post
The King had his eyes closed, the crowds in Whitehall stopped for their own thoughts, in a rare moment of calm in the capital.
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crowds → have → capital
The poignant parade past the Cenotaph included representatives of about 340 different military and civilian groups, from the Royal Naval Association and the Royal Marines Association to Transport for London and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute.
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parade → include → London
Alongside those marching were flotillas of disability scooters and families helping veterans in wheelchairs.
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flotillas → march → wheelchairs
Those who took part in WW2 are now increasingly frail - and there were 12 participants in the march-past compared to 20 last year.
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who → take → 20
Taking part for the first time was 103-year-old Annie Duplock, who had been part of the Land Army that had helped to feed the country at war.
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that → take → war
She had joined the Land Army in 1940 as a 16-year-old, having lied about her age, and worked on a farm in Leicestershire.
"I feel very honoured to be taking part in the parade and to represent the Land Girls.
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I → join → Girls
I'm very excited, although a little apprehensive as I don't quite know what to expect," she said.
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she → know → what
"I think it will be a very emotional day, bringing back memories of all those who didn't return home.
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who → think → those
It will be lovely to be there and remember them."
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It → remember → them
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the annual event was a time to "reflect on the selflessness and courage it takes to commit your life to protecting others".
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it → say → others
He earlier announced that he wanted to tackle the problem of homelessness among ex-service personnel to "ensure that any veteran sleeping rough is offered appropriate accommodation before Christmas".
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veteran → announce → Christmas
Mark Atkinson, the director general of the Royal British Legion, said: "As we come together on Remembrance Sunday, we pay tribute to all those who have served and sacrificed, from generations past to those still serving today."
Remembrance events took place across the country as thousands gathered to pay their respects to those who died in past conflicts.
First Minister of Scotland John Swinney placed a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance outside the City Chambers during an event in Edinburgh.
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Swinney → say → Edinburgh
Veterans, military personnel and cadets also marched through the centres of British cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds.
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Veterans → march → Manchester
A silent poppy drop was held as part of the Festival of Remembrance at Durham Cathedral while wreaths were laid at Canterbury Cathedral.
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wreaths → hold → Cathedral
Separately, the Duke of Sussex was seen attending a Remembrance service in the market town of Brackley in Northamptonshire.
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Duke → see → Northamptonshire
For more than a century, the national Remembrance event has been held around the Cenotaph.
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event → hold → Cenotaph
The monument was built as a focal point for honouring those who had fought and died in World War One, including those who had no grave, and as a place to mourn for those families who might not be able to visit war cemeteries overseas.
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who → build → cemeteries
The word "cenotaph" means "empty tomb" in Greek and it was designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in a simple, austere style, with no sense of triumphalism and with almost no decoration.
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it → mean → decoration
The monument had been originally built in 1919 as a temporary, plaster and wood structure.
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monument → build → structure
But it proved so popular with the public that it was replaced in 1920 with a permanent version, in the same design but in stone.
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it → prove → stone
It was opened at 11:00 on 11 November 1920 by King George V. His great-grandson, Charles, was there again, on an overcast morning 106 years later, to continue paying respect.
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grandson → open → respect
The Aporia
