Remembrance Sunday in London 2018: The Queen, Meghan and Kate watch as Prince Charles leads Armistice Day tributes at the cenotaph

The Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex were among the royals who watched Prince Charles lead the nation's tributes on the centenary of the Armistice today.

The event marked 100 years since the signing of the treaty which ended the battle on the Western Front of the First World War at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

Charles laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on behalf of his mother the Queen for the second year in a row while an equerry placed a wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph on behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen watched the Whitehall service from the balcony of the nearby Foreign and Commonwealth Office with Camilla and the Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince Philip was absent from the service and it is one of the few times he has missed the occasion.

He was previously unable to attend in 1956, 1964, 1968 and 1999, a spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who is expecting her first child with Prince Harry, was also watching from one of the nearby balconies and was attending the Remembrance service as a royal for the first time.

Big Ben sounded 11 times as the clock struck 11am as the nation fell silent to honour the Armistice centenary and remember those who have lost their lives in conflict.

A cannon marked the end of the two minute silence.The Last Post sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines before the wreaths were laid.

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also laid wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Huge crowds had gathered at the Cenotaph. The early morning downpours had cleared and a completely blue sky was above the capital.

Meanwhile in France, French President Emmanuel Macron was joined by some 70 world leaders for a ceremony at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, where an unknown soldier killed in the Great War is buried.

He led an address and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin were among those attending.

Testimonies written by soldiers on November 1918, as the ceasefire took hold, were read by high school students in French, English and German.

For the first time, a German leader laid a wreath at the Cenotaph, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier performing the duty on behalf of his nation in an historic act of reconciliation between the two countries.

The royal family last night attended the Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Among the thousands paying their respects in Whitehall today was Lieutenant Commander Sarah Bligh of the Royal Navy.

She said it was her grandmother's stories of the war that inspired her to join the forces.

"The thought of it being 100 years is really poignant. I've got a photograph of my great grandfather taken 100 years ago to celebrate them all coming back from the war," she said.

"It's incredible to be here 100 years on."

A series of events have been planned to mark the special anniversary of the end of the Great War, including a procession of 10,000 people past the Cenotaph which was set to begin at about 1.30pm.

Members of the public were chosen by ballot for "A Nation's Thank You - The People's Procession" to give their thanks for all the men and women who have lost their lives in conflict.

The day will conclude with a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.