LONDON — Prince Charles has led Britain’s annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony for war dead, taking the role held for more than six decades by his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The 91-year-old queen, dressed in black, watched the service at London’s Cenotaph memorial from a nearby balcony alongside her 96-year-old husband Prince Philip.

The monarch, who is gradually cutting back on public duties after 65 years on the throne, had asked her 68-year-old son and heir to lay a wreath of poppies on her behalf. The queen’s grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry, both military veterans, and other royals also left bright red wreaths at the foot of the monument.

Britain’s political leaders, representatives of religious faiths, and dignitaries from the Commonwealth of former British colonies also attended the ceremony in London.

Associated Press