Extraordinary pictures of Her Majesty paying tribute to WWI's fallen at the Tower of London
With almost all of the 888,246 poppies now in place, the Queen was rendered almost invisible as she walked through the sea of ceramic crimson blooms during a tour of the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower of London this morning.
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Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, himself a former naval officer, Her Majesty looked sombre as she inspected the display which includes one flower for every British or Commonwealth soldier killed during the First World War.
The Queen was making her first public appearance since returning to London from her summer holiday at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire last month, with much of the last fortnight has been spent completing a series of investitures and meetings at Buckingham Palace.There had been fears that that recent rains would make it impossible for the 88-year-old monarch and her husband, 92, to traverse the waterlogged moat but both insisted on viewing the instalment in person.
The brainchild of artist Paul Cummins, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red has so far raised an incredible £11.2m for military charities, among them Cobseo, Combat Street, Coming Home, Help for Heroes, SSAFA and the Royal British Legion.
With 888,246 poppies set to be planted in the Tower of London's moat by the 11th November, the installation pays tribute to each and every one of the British and Commonwealth soldiers to die during World War One.
The first flower was planted on 17 July by one of the Tower's Yeoman Warders and planting has continued ever since, with an army of 8,000 volunteers providing most of the elbow grease.
Poppies have long been the symbol of military sacrifice in Britain, with the first poppy memorials coming after the First World War, when a poem from the time recalled the bright-red flower growing in the fields of Flanders.
After the Armistice Day commemorations next month, each of the poppies will be pulled up and dispatched to their new owners, each of whom has paid £25 for their poppies.
Although the majority have now been sold, some of the handmade poppies are still in search of new owners and can be purchased online from the Tower of London website.
The striking installation, which has seen potters in Cummins' Derbyshire studio work around the clock making poppies for the piece, has also seen other royal visitors in its midst, among them Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The latter's visit, on the 5th August, was her final public appearance ahead of the announcement of her second pregnancy, which was revealed by Kensington Palace on the 8th September.
With 888,246 poppies set to be planted in the Tower of London's moat by the 11th November, the installation pays tribute to each and every one of the British and Commonwealth soldiers to die during World War One.
The first flower was planted on 17 July by one of the Tower's Yeoman Warders and planting has continued ever since, with an army of 8,000 volunteers providing most of the elbow grease.
Poppies have long been the symbol of military sacrifice in Britain, with the first poppy memorials coming after the First World War, when a poem from the time recalled the bright-red flower growing in the fields of Flanders.
After the Armistice Day commemorations next month, each of the poppies will be pulled up and dispatched to their new owners, each of whom has paid £25 for their poppies.
Although the majority have now been sold, some of the handmade poppies are still in search of new owners and can be purchased online from the Tower of London website.
The striking installation, which has seen potters in Cummins' Derbyshire studio work around the clock making poppies for the piece, has also seen other royal visitors in its midst, among them Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The latter's visit, on the 5th August, was her final public appearance ahead of the announcement of her second pregnancy, which was revealed by Kensington Palace on the 8th September.
Sourec: dailymail.
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