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![]() Monday, November 10, 1997 Published at 00:03 GMT ![]() ![]() ![]() UK ![]() Festival of Remembrance spans the generations HRH The Queen led the royal tribute
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have led members
of the Royal Family at a public tribute to Britain's war dead at the annual
Festival of Remembrance.
Tony and Cherie Blair were also in the Royal Box for the traditional evening
of military bands and elaborate and emotional displays.
Thousands were at London's Royal Albert Hall, and millions more across Britain watched television coverage of the event.
The Queen, wearing a black velvet dress with a poppy, was welcomed to the hall
by Air Marshal Sir Roger Austin, national president of the Royal British Legion,
organiser of the annual event.
The Prince of Wales arrived moments before in his first public engagement
since arriving back in Britain on Thursday from his successful tour of southern
Africa.
He showed his clear intention to continue the good relations with the media
established on that tour, smiling happily for the cameras before going upstairs
to the Royal Box.
The Queen Mother was not present, for the fourth year in succession.
Her private office at Clarence House had avoided committing her to going. Last year she had a cold, the previous year she was about to go into hospital for her hip operation and on the previous two occasions she had colds.
Also in the Royal Box were the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra and
Sir Angus Ogilvy, the Duke of York and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The festival culminated, as every year, in a moving two-minute silence as
thousands of poppy petals drifted down on the hundreds of
participants including Chelsea pensioners, serving soldiers and schoolchildren
Just before the start of the final Service of Remembrance, the Queen and Duke
of Edinburgh were given a special surprise, with an unpublished addition to the
programme of a musical tribute to mark their Golden Wedding anniversary this
month.
The words and music, "Tribute to Her Majesty the Queen", were
written for this year's Edinburgh Tattoo by Warrant Officer Michael McDermott, 42, a musical arranger with the
Royal Marines.
It was performed at Edinburgh before audiences of 8,000 on more than 20 occasions.
Michelle Forde, who joined the Royal Marines band service as an oboist in
September last year, repeated her performance in the Royal Albert Hall with a hand held microphone in
front of the massed bands of the Royal Marines Portsmouth, the Guards Division
and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.
Afterwards, the principal director of music for the Royal Marines, Lt-Col
Richard Waterer, said: "This will have been the first time the Queen has heard
the song. It was such a success at Edinburgh that we thought we ought to repeat
the tribute tonight in front of Her Majesty."
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