Remembrance Sunday: Nation falls silent as Queen leads commemorations

The Queen has led the nation in remembering service personnel killed during conflicts, as Remembrance Sunday services were held around the UK.

A two-minute silence was observed before the monarch laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in central London.

Events have been held across the UK and abroad, including in Afghanistan where Prince Harry joined troops in Kandahar and laid a wreath with them.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

It is also 70 years since the D-Day landings, and the year Britain ended its combat role in Afghanistan after 13 years of fighting.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the anniversaries made the commemorations "particularly poignant".

Other ceremonies included:

• In Staffordshire, where 2,000 gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum for an outdoor service.
• In Scotland, where First Minister Alex Salmond and Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael laid wreaths at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
• In Northern Ireland, where Northern Ireland Secretary of State Theresa Villiers laid a wreath at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall.
• In Wales, where the national service took place at the Welsh National War Memorial in Cardiff.
• Security was visibly tighter in central London this year.
  Other members of the Royal Family, including the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Prince William, joined the Queen in laying wreaths. Mr Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband also paid their respects.
  Forty-six high commissioners from Commonwealth countries each then laid a wreath before the Irish ambassador to the UK, Dan Mulhall, left a floral tribute.
• It is the first time since 1946 that a representative from Ireland has participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in London. Fifty-thousand Irish men died in World War One.
  The chiefs of the armed forces, representatives of the UK's different faiths and members of the civilian services also laid wreaths.
  As the Queen left the Cenotaph, spontaneous applause spread through the crowds.
• As one, the thousands of people lining Whitehall bowed their heads the moment Big Ben struck.
  All that could be heard at 1100 GMT was the fluttering of leaves on what was a crisp autumn day, and the distant sound of birdsong.
  There were veterans wearing medals alongside families in jeans and trainers.
  What united them was not just the red poppy pinned on almost every chest, but their reason for being there - to stand together in memory of the nation's war dead.