The Princess Wears Emilia Wickstead for Festival of Remembrance

The Princess of Wales brought back an Emilia Wickstead design for tonight’s Festival of Remembrance.
A video of the Prince and Princess arrived.

Prince and Princess of Wales ✨ pic.twitter.com/z0SEDdmHuz

— سعد 🇬🇧🧣🇮🇱 (@crowndefensx) November 11, 2023

Put on by the Royal British Legion every year, the festival is held at Royal Albert Hall.
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The King and Queen led the royal contingent.

Also attending, the Duchess of Edinburgh. And her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
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Princess Anne.
And her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Here you see the Duchess.
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In this photo, you can see all the royals except the Edinburghs.

Here you have a better view of the Gloucesters.
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And a very wide shot of the royal box.
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This year’s event paid “tribute to National Servicemen…marking 70 years since the end of the Korean War. It also acknowledges the unique contribution of the Windrush Generation, 75 years after their arrival in the UK, and honours those who served in the Battle of the Atlantic 80 years ago,” per the Legion’s description.
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The Legion also noted, “As exemplified by the participants of the Invictus Games, we also salute the courage and resilience of those recovering from injuries. It emphasises the unity of people from diverse backgrounds who defended our freedom and way of life.”
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More on tonight’s events via The Evening Standard’s story.

Hosting the annual Royal British Legion event, Clare Balding said that servicemen and women who have lost their lives are “kept alive with our words, our memories, our tributes”.

There were performances from British soul singer Mica Paris, pop star Calum Scott, Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery and tenor Alfie Boe, who performed Bring Him Home.

Below, journalist and author Clare Balding.

More about the poppy as a symbol of remembrance via the Imperial War Museum.

The poppy is the enduring symbol of remembrance of the First World War. It is strongly linked with Armistice Day (11 November), but the poppy’s origin as a popular symbol of remembrance lies in the landscapes of the First World War.

Poppies were a common sight, especially on the Western Front. They flourished in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling. The flower provided Canadian doctor John McCrae with inspiration for his poem ‘In Flanders Fields’, which he wrote whilst serving in Ypres in 1915.

Here is the text of the poem.

The festival wraps up in silence as poppies fall from the ceiling.

Followed by Serving personnel leading three cheers for The King.

Before tonight’s performance, King Charles and Queen Camilla unveiled statues at the Royal Albert Hall of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

In the photo above, you also see the President of the Council of the Royal Albert Hall, Ian McCulloch—more from The Daily Mail’s coverage.

The life-sized bronze artworks, commemorating the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh‘s dedication to the Royal Albert Hall, were erected as part of the building’s 150th anniversary. The commissioning of the sculptures was awarded following a competition involving a shortlist of seven sculptors supported by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), a charity supporting excellence in British craftsmanship.

Ian McCulloch, president of the Royal Albert Hall, said: ‘It is particularly fitting for our distinctive building to mark the contribution to our history of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, who supported and attended the hall devotedly for so many decades.’

The two-metre bronze monuments were created by sculptor Poppy Field. Below, the statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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The King during the unveiling ceremony.

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Now for our look at what Kate wore.
She was in the Emilia Wickstead dress initially worn for the Governors-General luncheon hosted by King Charles the night before the late Queen’s funeral.

It looks like a custom version of the Jorgie Ruched Flared Crepe Midi Dress (long since sold out) from the pre-fall 2020 collection. You see it below at Harrod’s when the dress was available for purchase. It showcases an A-line silhouette, ruching at the bodice, a pleated and full skirt, and a back zipper. Thank you to Carly of Kate Middleton Style for her background info on the dress.

The Princess accessorized with her Stuart Weitzman ‘Muse’ clutch, a piece dating back more than a decade.

And her Aquazzura ‘Purist’ pumps ($638) that were first worn when the Princess met with Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska the night before HM’s funeral. Thank you to Middleton Maven for a refresher on the shoe!

The Princess wore the same necklace she paired with the Wickstead dress in September 2022, a triple-strand pearl necklace that belonged to the Queen.

Her earrings tonight were the Bahrain Pearl and Diamond Drop earrings, so-called because the pearls used for the earrings were a wedding gift from the ruler of Bahrain to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding.

The Princess wore a single poppy this evening, pinned to her dress by the Queen Mother’s Dragoon Guards brooch. There were reports that Brigadier Alan Richmond gave the Princess the brooch on Wednesday when she visited the Guards Regiment. It appears those reports were accurate.

You see the Queen Mother wearing it in this photo.
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Last year, the Princess wore the Self-Portrait Crepe and Chiffon Midi Dress (no longer available)