The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Prince Charles to pay a solemn visit to Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Ypres as they commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele – where hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers fell.
Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in terms of burials. There are 11,961 soldiers of World War 1 buried here, of which 8,373 are “unknown”.
They were joined by King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Sir Timothy Laurence and Theresa May at the Cemetery.
The Cross of Sacrifice that marks many CWGC cemeteries were built on top of a German pillbox in the center of the cemetery, purportedly at the suggestion of King George V, who visited the cemetery in 1922 as it neared completion.
Prince Charles today addressed the gathering at the cemetery. In his speech, Charles quoted his great-grandfather King George V and remarked, ” Drawn from many nations, we come together in their resting place… to promise that we will never forget.”
Catherine laid a posey as William read, “A Soldier of the Great War Known Unto God”.
Trumpeters from the Band of The Royal Marines play the Last Post and Reveille.
Trumpeters from the Band of The Royal Marines play the Last Post and Reveille. #Passchendaele100 pic.twitter.com/Q1iarNja3D
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) July 31, 2017
At the end of the ceremony, four Belgium Defence F16’s fly the Missing Man Formation flyover Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Earlier in the day William and Catherine visited Bedford House, the final resting place of more than 5,000 Servicemen of WWI.
There the royal couple met some Commonwealth War Graves Commission interns who help visitors understand the stories of servicemen in this cemetery, before viewing some of the graves.
Today, The Duchess of Cambridge chose a delicate dusty pink Venetian wool ‘Melrose’ coatdress from her go-to designer Catherine Walker.
The dress features hand applique taupe corded lace spreading up from the hem and cuff. A look at the detailing.
Catherine paired the outfit with a Jane Taylor creation.
The Duchess paired her dress with a pink Prada Clutch. It seems today Duchess wore a new pair of Gianvito Rossi Suede Pumps. HeavenQRF on Twitter believes they are the Suede Gianvito Heels. Heels are available at forwarding.
Kate wore Diana’s Collingwood pearl earrings that she wore on State Banquet earlier in July and the pearl brooch, borrowed from Her Majesty, that complimented the whole look.
