King Charles and Queen Camilla Unveil New Statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on Remembrance Day
The statues were revealed for the first time at Saturday's Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall
King Charles and Queen Camilla marked Remembrance Day by honoring fallen soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth — and the monarch also paid tribute to his late parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
At the Royal British Legion's annual Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, King Charles and Queen Camilla unveiled new statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Prince Philip, known by his title the Duke of Edinburgh, died in April 2021 at age 99. Queen Elizabeth died in Sept. 2022 at age 96 after a historic 70 years on the throne, and her son immediately became monarch upon her death. The royal couple was buried together at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George's Chapel within the Windsor Castle grounds. Also interred at the burial site are Queen Elizabeth's parents — King George VI, who died in 1952, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002 — as well as her sister, Princess Margaret, who also died in 2002.
Remembrance Day, which evolved out of Armistice Day, is marked on Nov. 11 each year as World War I hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918.
The Festival of Remembrance was also attended by Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales; Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh; Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence; The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
They all adorned their ensembles with red poppy pins. The symbol, believed to come from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae, has been used since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in war.
The royals have played a central role in the commemorations of Remembrance Day since Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, King George V, laid the Unknown Warrior to rest in Westminster Abbey on Nov. 11, 1920. He unveiled The Cenotaph war memorial in nearby Whitehall later the same day.
"The royal family is showing gratitude for the loss of life basically occurring in their name — certainly in the name of the sovereign as the head of state," A Century of Remembrance author Laura Clouting previously told PEOPLE, referencing the British military oath.
She added, "Remembrance is very, very personal for them."
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Members of the royal family will gather again tomorrow for the National Service of Remembrance, also known as Remembrance Sunday, at The Cenotaph war memorial in London.
The social media accounts of the royal family also changed their photos on Thursday to reflect the somber nature of the occasion, as they have done in years past to mark Remembrance Day.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.