Prince Philip attended an Armistice Day service at the Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium, where he oversaw the gathering of soil for a Flanders Fields memorial garden at the Guards Museum in London.
Prince Philip, who is Senior Colonel, Household Division and Colonel, Grenadier Guards, attended the Last Post ceremony on the 11th November 2013.
Prince Philip was accompanied by Prince Laurent of Belgium where they were met by the Minister-President of Flanders Kris Peeters, as well as representatives of the the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Last Post Association.
Prince Philip and Prince Laurent during the ceremony
Ceremony at the Menin Gate
The Band of the Coldstream Guards also performed a Royal Salute on arrival.
Beneath the Menin Gate the ‘Last Post’ sounded and was followed by a one minute silence after which Prince Philip laid a poppy wreath.
Schoolchildren from the UK and Belgium then carried sandbags with earth from First World War cemeteries in Belgium to a gun carriage of the Royal Horse Artillery.
The princes also met with these schoolchildren before moving to Ypres Town Hall for a reception after which they signed the Golden Book of the Last Post Association.
Bags of soil gathered at the ceremony
The bags of soil are loaded onto a gun carriage
Prince Philip and Prince Laurent sign the Golden Book of the Last Post Association
Source: Inside Government UK press release
Date of press release publication: 12/11/2013
Images courtesy of Tijl Capoen/Stad Ieper
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News