Prince William will today urge young people to remember the importance of wearing a red poppy and that “remembrance is for everyone” in a video message to mark Armistice Day.
The message from the Prince of Wales will be played a schools across the UK as part of the Royal British Legion’s Remembrance Assembly on Tuesday morning.
The virtual event brings together children aged nine to 14 in schools, libraries, home education, and other learning areas throughout the UK.
In his speech, the prince will say: “Armistice Day is an important time for us to stop and reflect – it is a reminder that remembrance is for everyone.
Prince William is set to remind young people of the importance of wearing a poppy
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“When we remember, we connect with service in a personal way.
“We learn from the courage of others, and we carry their stories forward, so they are not forgotten.
“It’s not just about the past – it’s about shaping who we become in the future.
“Remembrance teaches us empathy, resilience and responsibility.
“And when we wear a red poppy or take a moment of silence, we are saying, ‘Thank you. We have not forgotten, and we will not forget’.”
William is set to encourage young people to remember veterans and serving members of the armed forces, saying: “Through my own military experience, as well as through my work in connection with units across the Royal Navy, the Army and the Royal Air Force, I have seen first-hand the hard work, dedication and duty the armed forces carry out to ensure we are protected.
The Prince of Wales will tell students to show their support for veterans this Armistice Day
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“Coming together for remembrance is a vital way to honour those whose service keeps us safe.
“Even today, as we continue to face a number of conflicts across the world, we honour those who have gone before us, and those who are serving now.
“Their memories matter, their lives matter, and they remind us to be respectful, kind, brave and thoughtful every day.”
The event will also include first-hand testimonies from Second World War veterans, including 101-year-old George Durrant, who served in Burma from 1944 in the Intelligence Corps, and 100-year-old Prince Albert Jacob, who joined the Royal Air Force at just 17 and travelled to the US and Britain to repair planes.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales will attend the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The service will feature the reading of a specially commissioned poem by the arboretum’s poet in residence, Arji Manuelpillai.
“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,” Mr Manuelpillai said.
The Princess of Wales will attend the Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum
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“These human connections, and the gentle responsibility to carry love forward, are themes that resonate not only with me, but also with HRH The Princess of Wales, for whom the importance of service and compassion lies especially close to the heart.”
Later on Tuesday, William will join the King and Queen at Windsor Castle where a reception will honour veterans who served in the Pacific during the Second World War.
The event, which the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester will also attend, continues the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.