Prince Charles supported once again the Queen in her duties as he stepped in for her in leading the country during the National Service of Remembrance. The Prince of Wales led the country in respectful two-minute silence as Big Ben sounded 11am.

       He then solemnly laid a wreath of red poppies at the foot of the Cenotaph on behalf of Her Majesty, as he has been doing since 2017.

       The future King then stepped back and bowed as a sign of respect.

       Shortly after, he returned to the base of the Cenotaph to lay his own wreath of poppies as the Prince of Wales.

       His eldest son and heir, Prince William, followed through and added another wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of his generation to remember those who lost their lives in recent conflicts.

       Father and son weren't the only royals laying wreaths this morning, with the Earl of Wessex and Princess Royal also paying their respect to the fallen.

       These senior royals' example was followed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, and SNP leader in Westminster Ian Blackford.

       Prior to the service in Whitehall, Mr Johnson said: "Today we come together to remember those who sacrificed everything in service of our country, in the First World War and every conflict since, including recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

       "It’s a sacred ceremony that has endured for more than a century because we know the unpayable debt we owe those brave servicemen and women.

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       "We know that for our tomorrow they gave their today. And we know that here at home and around the world, thousands of men and women in uniform still stand ready to defend our unity and our way of life, our values, and at a cost, few among us would be willing to pay.

       "Today we come together. We wear our poppies with pride and stand as a nation in two minutes of silent tribute."

       The Queen was meant to take part in the ceremony from one of the nearby balconies of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office building as she has been doing over the past five years.

       However, Buckingham Palace announced earlier this morning the Queen was pulling out of the commemorations “with deep regret”.

       The statement read: "The Queen, having sprained her back, has decided this morning with great regret that she will not be able to attend today's Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph.

       "Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service."

       A source at the palace added the Queen is "deeply disappointed" to be missing today's service, as she regards this appointment at the Cenotaph as one of the most significant engagements of the year.

       Attendees at the service appeared to celebrate Her Majesty through a "particularly loud rendition of God Save the Queen", as reported by the Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer.

       He tweeted from the Cenotaph: "A particularly loud rendition of God Save the Queen from the crowd there, I felt, as the nation’s thoughts turn to the health of the 95-year-old monarch."

       Since October 20, she has missed a few in-person important appointments in the royal diary - including the evening reception at COP26 and the Festival of Remembrance.

       On Tuesday, she will not take part in an in-person engagement alongside her younger son Prince Edward.

       The palace said last week: "Mindful of her doctors' recent advice, The Queen has decided not to attend the General Synod Service and Opening Session on Tuesday 16th November."

       While today’s announcement will surely leave many royal watchers concerned, the Queen appeared in high spirits over the last weekend, when she was seen on multiple occasions being driven around her estate.