Advertisement

Kate And William Remember Australia's War Dead

Kate And William Remember Australia's War Dead

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have risen before dawn to remember Australia's war dead on the last day of their tour Down Under.

The couple made an unannounced appearance at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra at around 5am local time (8pm UK time) for a service marking Anzac Day - a national day of remembrance for the nation's fallen, veterans and those still serving.

Kate, who was wearing a cream scarf and black coat with leather gloves, stood to William's right and clasped her hands in front of her as the pair listened to readings during the service, which began around 4.30am.

William wore his two medals which were given to him for service to his grandmother Queen Elizabeth - the Golden Jubilee Medal and Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Soon after they arrived, a young servicewoman reminded those gathered of the names and faces of the 40 soldiers killed while serving in Afghanistan.

The war was Australia's longest and most recent, and saw more than 260 service personnel wounded.

Tens of thousands of veterans, family members and members of the public gathered in the darkness to pay tribute.

The crowd, some sitting with candles, stretched from the memorial and down towards Parliament House.

The Duke and Duchess and others in the official party had small torches to read the order of service.

Later that morning the Duke and Duchess attended a ceremony which saw serving military veterans march past William, who was stood with Australia's Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Hymns were sung and wreaths laid at the Stone of Remembrance by William and Kate.

Anzac comes from the acronym used to describe the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Anzac Day started with the commemoration of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives at Gallipoli in 1915.