Prince George makes big debut at Festival of Remembrance alongside Princess Kate – best photos

Prince George has joined his mother, the Princess of Wales, as the young royal made his debut at the Festival of Remembrance, although his father was absent

Prince George has joined his mother, the Princess of Wales, and other senior members of the royal family at this year’s Festival of Remembrance, which honours the service and sacrifice of British and Commonwealth Armed Forces personnel, past and present. Among the other royals at the event were King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Princess Anne and her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, were among the royals absent from the ceremony, with the pair in Australia to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Australia Corps of Signals.

Also absent from the ceremony was Prince William. HELLO! understands this is because the royal is flying commercially back from Belem, In Brazil, which has limited flight options. It’s also understood that the route was chosen for the Prince of Wales to ensure that he was in the country for the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph on Sunday.

George has been stepping up into a more senior role over recent months, and in May, the young royal made a surprise appearance at a Buckingham Palace tea party at the start of VE Day commemorations. George, 11, was dressed smartly in a navy suit and a blue tie, and was seen chatting to one of the veterans with his father. The youngster asked one of the veterans, named Alfred: “What was it like when you were coming in?”, to which Alfred replied: “Pretty awful”.

Another veteran, Dougie, praised George for his questions. “I was very impressed with the lad’s interest,” he said. “I told him luckily I wasn’t ever shot at but we did lose one of our fleet in the Channel. He was very polite and listened with interest. Whenever I used to do talks to young kids, that’s all you ever wanted, for them to listen and have a little understanding of those days. I think it’s so important for us to remember and they put on a lovely spread.”

It has been a difficult few months for the royal family following the sad death of the Duchess of Kent in September and the stripping of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s titles. The disgraced royal was officially stripped of his titles with an entry in the Letters Patent reading: “THE KING has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 3 November 2025 to declare that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor shall no longer be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title or attribute of ‘Royal Highness’ and the titular dignity of ‘Prince’.”

Scroll down for the best photos from the night…

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George was looking so tall as he arrived with his mother

George’s first time

George looked so tall as the young royal made his debut at the Festival of Remembrance alongside his mother, the Princess of Wales.

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George is taking on more duties

George shakes hands

George’s appearance coincides with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 25th anniversary of the UK Government lifting the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel serving openly in the armed forces.

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The monarch was seen smiling

King Charles arrives

The monarch was seen sharing a laugh as he arrived for the event.

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Camilla wore black for the event

Camilla joins in

Camilla was seen wearing black as she arrived shortly after her husband.

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George joined his family for the poignant service

Tonight’s performances

At tonight’s event, George will watch performances from Sir Rod Stewart, Sam Ryder and Keala Settle as well as music performed by the Central Band of the RAF, the RAF Squadronaires and the Band of HM Royal Marines.

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Several royals looked deep in conversation

Kate’s talk

The Princess of Wales was seen speaking to her eldest son as the night went on.

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George was looking so tall as he arrived with his mother

George’s first time

George looked so tall as the young royal made his debut at the Festival of Remembrance alongside his mother, the Princess of Wales.

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Camilla supported her husband

Camilla’s outfit

Alongside her black dress, Camilla also wore the £38,500 diamond Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra earrings. She had previously worn the jewellery at the same event in 2022.

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Sophie arrived with other members of the royal family

Duchess of Edinburgh

The Duchess of Edinburgh was seen wearing a stylish black dress as she arrived for the poignant event. She was also seen holding the Lulu Guinness Sophie Fan Clutch.

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The Duke and Duchess were both present

Edward joins his wife

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh regularly make appearances at the Festival of Remembrance.

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The Duke and Duchess were some of the first to arrive

Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were among the first royals to arrive for the event.

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Sir Rod paid his respects

Rod Stewart’s performance

Sir Rod was one of the performers at the event.