Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, has led the nation in commemorating the war losses of Australia and New Zealand during a poignant dawn service marking Anzac Day. At Hyde Park Corner in London, home to war memorials for both southern hemisphere countries, Edward solemnly laid a wreath in remembrance. As the early morning light illuminated the scene, hundreds of Australians, New Zealanders, and military personnel stood in solemn observation as the prince paid his respects with a floral tribute of red poppies and white flowers.
The Royal Family also expressed their condolences on social media, honoring the fallen Kiwi and Australian soldiers. Later in the day, Edward will lay an Anzac wreath on behalf of King Charles at the Centopath. He will also participate in the annual wreath-laying ceremony in the crypt at St Paul’s Cathedral, hosted by the Gallipoli Association.
Anzac Day, observed on April 25, marks the anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli landings in the First World War and serves as a national day of remembrance for Australia and New Zealand. During the ill-fated 1915 campaign, thousands of Anzac troops from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, alongside British allies, paid the ultimate sacrifice. Allied forces launched an amphibious assault on the strategically significant Turkish peninsula, a crucial gateway to the Dardanelles Straits and the Black Sea route to Russia.
However, the plan, championed by Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, proved flawed. The campaign, met with fierce Turkish resistance, resulted in a stalemate and withdrawal eight months later. Yet, the legacy of the Gallipoli campaign lives on in the enduring spirit of the Anzac troops, embodying courage, endurance, initiative, discipline, and mateship, values that continue to resonate with Antipodean nations.
Today, the Anzac Day service in London has become a profoundly significant event for thousands of New Zealanders and Australians, honoring the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
