The British government held a special ceremony to pay tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in war. The Remembrance Sunday event took place on Sunday at the Cenotaph war memorial on Whitehall in London.
Remembrance Sunday is marked on the second Sunday of November, close to November 11, the anniversary of the end of the First World War.
The gathering was led by King Charles III and began with a two-minute silence. Representatives of the Commonwealth nations, Ireland and Nepal, also laid wreaths, along with the King.
Nepal’s Acting Ambassador, Bipin Duwadi, laid a wreath on behalf of Nepal. He said it was an honour to take part in the national remembrance service and to pay tribute to the brave Gurkha soldiers and others who sacrificed their lives for their countries.
Duwadi said that before the formal ceremony began, he had a brief conversation with Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. According to him, they expressed sorrow and concern over the recent natural disaster in Nepal.
For the first time, nine former prime ministers joined the current prime minister, Burnham, in laying wreaths for those who died in conflicts involving Britain. It was a record turnout.
The former prime ministers who attended were John Major, the oldest living former PM at 83, and Keir Starmer, the most recent. Also present were Liz Truss, who had the shortest term; David Cameron; Gordon Brown; Tony Blair; Theresa May; Rishi Sunak; and Boris Johnson.
Senior members of the royal family, including Queen Camilla, and the chiefs of the British armed forces also attended.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, a right-wing populist and far-right political party, laid a wreath alongside the leaders of the other major parties. He qualified for the first time because his party now has enough MPs in Parliament.
After the ceremony, a parade organised by the Royal British Legion drew nearly 10,000 veterans, including Gurkha veterans.
According to the BBC, veterans of the Second World War also took part. Twelve of those who fought in the war attended this year, among them 103-year-old Annie Duplock. She told the BBC that the day was deeply emotional.
Separately, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Nepal held a remembrance service on November 4 at the Gurkha soldier statue outside the Ministry of Defence in Westminster.
Seventeen MPs and peers from the House of Commons and the House of Lords laid wreaths in tribute to fallen Gurkha soldiers and others who gave their lives for their countries. Those present included Manish Jha, a Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker and chair of the committee on UK affairs in Nepal’s parliament, and Acting Ambassador Duwadi.
APPG chair Alex Baker said she was delighted to bring MPs and the Gurkha community together at the service.
“For more than 200 years, Gurkhas have served our country with extraordinary courage,” Baker said. “It was especially meaningful to bring parliamentarians together to honour their service, in the context of our strong Gurkha communities in Aldershot and Farnborough, and to celebrate the enduring friendship between Britain and Nepal.”
Baker said it was an honour to welcome Gurkha veterans Hari Budha Magar and Harkaman Gurung, Acting Ambassador Duwadi and MP Manish Jha.
Another event was held on November 7 in Princes Gardens, in front of the statue of Kulbir Thapa. He was the first Nepali soldier to receive the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry shown by British soldiers against the enemy.
