LONDON: Prince William flew into Afghanistan on Sunday for a surprise visit to honour Britain’s war dead, as the Queen led the nation in remembrance here in central London.
The Prince attended a Remembrance Sunday service earlier in the morning at Camp Bastion, Helmand province, and laid a wreath before flying home. Back in London, Queen Elizabeth II led the nation in a two-minute silence at 1100 GMT to remember the fallen, and laid a wreath at the Cenotaph memorial.
She was followed by other senior members of the royal family, as well as British Prime Minister David Cameron and other politicians and diplomats. Remembrance Sunday marks the end of World War I on November 11, 1918, and honours all those killed in conflict since. William, 28, who is second in line to the throne, was joined in Afghanistan by the government’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox.
“Remembrance Sunday is a time when the entire country stops to recognise the sacrifices made by the armed forces on our behalf,” Fox said on Sunday.
“I am extremely proud that Prince William and I could come to Camp Bastion to stand alongside the men and women serving in Afghanistan today. “I pay tribute to them, and everyone who has served before them in this conflict, and others on behalf of the freedoms that the British people enjoy.”
