Why Princess Anne missed Remembrance Sunday ceremony

This year, on Remembrance Day, the King led the ceremony at the London cenotaph, surrounded by thousands of soldiers from all of Britain's armed forces, politicians, religious leaders, and other members of the royal family. Prince William and Prince Edward accompanied the King on the ground in full uniform, while the Queen, the Princess of Wales, and the Duchess of Edinburgh watched from balconies above. However, one person was conspicuously absent from the ceremony: Princess Anne.

The Princess Royal is usually front and center at military events, even appearing on horseback in full military dress at the Coronation Parade. However, this year, on Remembrance Day, a wreath was laid on Princess Anne's behalf because she was unable to attend in person.

Instead, Princess Anne was in Australia on a four-day official visit. The Princess Royal is Colonel-in-Chief of the Australian Corps of Signals, so she was there to celebrate its 100th anniversary on Saturday (November 8). The following day (November 9), while other members of the royal family were at the memorial in London, the Princess Royal observed Remembrance Day by laying a wreath at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney.

Princess Anne's visit to Australia will continue until November 11th, after which she will embark on a two-day visit to Singapore to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between the country and the UK. The Princess is accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The two will then return to the UK in time for Princess Anne to present the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service on November 18th, followed by a dinner at the Royal Academy of Engineering that evening.