St Pauls' Cathedral AFGHANISTAN A Service of Commemoration 13th March 2015
Her Majesty The Queen will attend the service of commemoration at
St Paul's to mark combat operations in
Afghanistan.
At the service, to be held on
Friday 13 March at 11am and broadcast live on
BBC1,
The Queen and
Duke of Edinburgh will be accompanied by
The Prince of Wales,
Duchess of Cornwall,
The Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge,
Prince Harry,
The Duke of York and The
Earl and Countess of Wessex.
The Prime Minister,
Deputy Prime Minister,
Secretary of State for Defence,
Service Chiefs and other senior political and military figures will also attend. They will be alongside members of the
Armed Forces, veterans, the next of kin of deceased personnel, representatives of military and aid charities and organisations, and the
UK’s NATO allies in Afghanistan from
2001 - 2014. Representatives of the
Afghan nation will also be present, together with leaders of world faiths.
Following the service, The Prince of Wales will take the salute as a
parade of personnel who served in Afghanistan from the
Royal Navy and
Royal Marines, the
Army and the
Royal Air Force, and veterans, supported by military bands and
Pipes and Drums will make their way from
St Paul’s to receptions at
Guildhall hosted by the
City of London Corporation, and at the
Honourable Artillery Company, attended by members of the
Royal Family, for those who attended the service and those who took part in the parade.
During the parade, a flypast of aircraft used in the campaign, including
Chinook,
Apache and Sea
King Helicopters, and
Hercules and
Tornado aircraft will fly over the parade and
Cathedral in tribute.
The service will remember those who have died and are injured, as well as all who served in Afghanistan, and prayers will also be offered for the people of Afghanistan who have also died or suffered in the conflict. During the service, a cross made of shell casings that adorned a memorial wall in
Camp Bastion will be blessed by the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
In 2009, The Queen also attended a similar service to mark the end of operations in
Iraq.