Kate emotional as she honours the fallen

THE Princess of Wales led the nation on Armistice Day yesterday as she laid a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

- BY EMILY FERGUSON Royal Editor

Kate bowed her head and stood in silence as she joined veterans in honouring the war dead and all those who have served in the Armed Forces at the venue in Staffordshire.

She hailed the poignant annual event as a "special" and "powerful" place for "personal reflection" and held hands with 100-year-old VE and VJ Day veteran Donald "Bill" Redstone as she listened to his experiences.

It was one of hundreds of ceremonies marking the day in the UK.

On her visit, the Princess revealed Prince George's interest in Second World War model aircraft. Wearing a military-style black coat, large-brimmed hat with a bow and two poppies, Kate was making her first trip to the National Memorial Arboretum for Armistice Day.

She stood for the two-minute silence at 11am and after placing the large wreath alongside a handwritten note, the royal took a moment of reflection before returning to her seat.

The Princess bowed her head as the crowd prayed for those affected by conflict, including members of the Armed Forces and civilians.

During the 30-minute ceremony she had to hold on to her hat to prevent it from blowing away. Kate appeared emotional during the reading of a specially commissioned poem A Sonnet For Us All - by the arboretum's poet-in-residence Arji Manuelpillai.

He explained the piece by saying: "A Sonnet For Us All captures the stories etched into the hundreds of memorials within the National Memorial Arboretum.

"It invites people to listen, reflect and consider the emotion that was the inspiration for these sculptures.