Queen to lead Remembrance Sunday tribute to fallen

The nation will pay silent respect to the country's war dead today in a Remembrance Sunday service led by the Queen.

The monarch will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and members of the leading political parties at the Cenotaph in central London.

A two-minute silence will take place at 11am and wreaths will be laid at the foot of the Whitehall memorial, followed by a veterans' march.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn - whose anti-war stance is well known - seemed to answer speculation on whether he would wear a red poppy by sporting one at the Festival of Remembrance last night.

The ceremony is expected to be slightly shorter this year, with arrangements made to reduce the time war veterans are made to stand before the parade moves off.

But politicians will continue to lay wreaths individually after a Westminster backlash forced a rethink by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which oversees ceremonial arrangements.

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will also lay a wreath this year, following an invitation from the Queen to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands after the end of the Second World War.

This year marks a number of other significant anniversaries in the UK's military history, including the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The weather in the capital is expected to be dry, according to MeteoGroup, which said the sun could break through in places.

But other Remembrance Sunday events across the country, particularly in northern England and Scotland could be hit by a band of rain moving south, forecaster John Griffiths added.

Thousands joined the Queen, a host of senior royals and Prime Minister David Cameron at London's Royal Albert Hall yesterday to honour the war dead and pay tribute to veterans from all conflicts in the annual event.

The Book of Remembrance was delivered to the stage by Corporal Anna Cross, a reservist with the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps who recently travelled to Sierra Leone to help with the devastating Ebola crisis.

That country's outbreak has now been declared over by the World Health Organisation, but Cpl Cross's story highlighted the varied nature of service to the country.

The mood fell even more sombre when The Last Post rang out in the theatre, and during the minutes of silence poppy petals drifted from the ceiling.

The service concluded with traditional prayers, hymns and blessings before an enthusiastic rendition of God Save the Queen.