To mark the Remembrance week, The Duchess of Cambridge made a virtual call to the families of armed forces who lost their loved ones to pay her respect and learn more about the importance of Remembrance Week for the families of the armed forces.
On Sunday, Catherine joined The Queen and Royal Family at the socially distanced and scaled back Remembrance Sunday Service.
Talking to the families on Monday, The Duchess of Cambridge said,
“‘I’m sure you spend your time every day remembering your loved ones, but it’s so important that the nation comes together and really spends time thinking about those who have lost their lives and the families that have been impacted.
It’s been a real honour to speak to all of you and I think I speak for the whole nation when I say just how proud you should be of your loved ones, and for the sacrifice and the bravery that they’ve shown. I’ll certainly be thinking of you this difficult week and will be for many years to come”.
Catherine was joined by Chantelle Wynn, Serena Alexander, Charlton Taylor and Sonia Fleming. She heard about the works of Royal British Legion- a patronage of Queen Elizabeth II. The British Legion provides lifelong support to anyone who has served with the British Armed Forces and their families. They also give support to families who have been bereaved, including help with funeral costs, ongoing emotional support and connecting people to specialist services such as bereavement counselling or mental health support. Last week, Prince William also made a video call to the deployed Armed Forces personnel.
The Duchess of Cambridge asked 11-years old Charlton Taylor, ‘Are those your daddy’s medals? Wow.” He then showed his father’s medels to Catherine. Taylor’s father was killed Afghanistan in 2010. “It’s very special that you’re wearing them, “Catherine told him.
Another participant, Chantelle Wynn told her about her husband who committed suicide in 2015 after suffering from PTSD following a posting in Afghanistan. The Duchess added during the conversation, “Sadly, not everybody gets to see that or even actually understand the role they play for families such as yourselves. It has such a big impact, particularly at such tragic times.” From Daily Mail’s report,
Mrs Wynn said she had no idea what the Royal British Legion really did until she needed them in her hour of need, revealing that it had provided crucial financial and emotional support.
‘You wear a poppy and you put your donation in but I didn’t know where the donations went,’ she said. ‘But now, I know exactly where those donations go to.’ When the Duchess asked Mrs Wyn if her husband had been open with his mental health, she replied: ‘He would never ever talk about it.
‘The only time he would ever talk about it was every November when he felt like he was back in the war. Bonfire night was just a no-go in our house because he thought that those fireworks were him back in the war zone. ‘He never really had problems until that October, and then it was literally like being hit by a brick wall.’
For the video call, The Duchess of Cambridge wore an ivory-white Ghost Boo Blouse. Thanks to Katie for the quick id.
The £79 ivory white vintage-inspired blouse features an oversized scalloped, contrast collar with embroidered edging. The deep darts at the front and back, give a beautiful tailored shape, perfect to tuck it into high-waist jeans or trousers for an easy chic outfit. Catherine paired the blouse with a black trouser.
The Duchess of Cambridge topped it with a red poppy and wore pearl drop earrings.
Today’s video call, gave us another interior glimpse of Cambridge family’s London residence, Kensington Palace.
We saw three beautiful pics in the background. The one on her right looks like a picture of Catherine and Louis from 2019 when William and Catherine took their kids to ‘Back to Nature Garden’.
The second picture is of Prince George and Princess Charlotte from September 2019. It was taken on Charlotte’s first day of school.
There is one picture of Prince William from his Africa visit.
On Wednesday this week, a special service will be organised at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior. We can expect the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the socially distanced service.