SOLEMN SOMME: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Prince Harry and headed to France to attend a Somme vigil on Thursday evening.
The young royals visited Thiepval Memorial for a service on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme during World War I, one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war. The royal trio arrived ahead of the commemorative event that will take place Friday. The service will be held at the memorial, which is located near the battlefields in northern France. They visited the Thiepval monument to view the former grounds of where the battle took place. The duchess donned a gray and white Missoni coat with black pumps and a black hat.
In central London, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attended a service held at Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Somme with similar services honor the centenary held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Queen laid a floral wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were among attendees at the service.
Last week, the duke and duchess attend a charity gala dinner held at Houghton Hall, home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley. The event was in aid of the East Anglia Children’s Hospice, of which the duchess is a patron and the dinner took place near the Cambridge family’s home, Anmer Hall. Guests were invited to the event as a thanks for their support of the charity’s “nook” appeal, which aims to raise money for children’s palliative care in Norfolk and for a purpose-built hospice called the nook.