Britain’s Prince Charles and wife Duchess Camilla attended a memorial service for the Battle of Waterloo yesterday (18.06.15).
The 66-year-old prince and his 67-year-old wife arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral in London to the sound of Household Cavalry trumpeters, while soldiers in full military regalia stood to attention next to old military guns outside the building as the guests filed in for the service, which marked 200 years since the battle.
Among those in attendance were Prime Minister David Cameron, Charles’ brother Prince Edward, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Mayor of London Boris Johnson and descendents of those who fought in the battle.
During the service, British, French and German readers read out extracts from accounts of the battle.
Lieutenant Achilles Barron of The Rifles read an extract from Major George Simmons of the 95th Rifles, who talked about struggling with heavy rain and "thick clayey mud".
He said: "Bad weather is something any soldier can relate to, I feel sympathetic to the men who were there – before the battle has even begun. It is a massive honour to be chosen to give the reading."
After the service, schoolgirl Lucy King, 13, presented Camilla with a posy of flowers, while 12-year-old Isabella Marter – whose ancestor Major Arthur Rowley Heyland wrote a letter to his wife on the eve of his death in the battle, which she carried every day until she died in 1858 – gave hers to the Duchess of Gloucester.
She said: "It was really exciting giving the flowers to the duchess. I’ve read the letter, it’s really beautiful, you can tell he was a really loving man."
Charles and Camilla attend Waterloo memorial
