Thousands of dignitaries and onlookers gathered at the Cenotaph in London for today's Remembrance Day service - though the Queen was not in attendance.
Buckingham Palace announced this morning the monarch had had to withdraw after spraining her back.
It would have been her first public appearance since an overnight precautionary stay in hospital last month.
Only the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds could be heard as the two-minute silence was held in honour of all those who have lost their lives in conflict.
After The Last Post was sounded by The Royal Marines Band buglers, Prince Charles was first to lay wreaths - on his own behalf and for the Queen.
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He was followed by Prince William, who laid his own wreath and was watched on by wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office building.
A procession of politicians was subsequently led by Boris Johnson, and included Sir Keir Starmer, before dignitaries from across the Commonwealth, and military and defence chiefs also laid wreaths.
This year's event saw a return to pre-pandemic numbers of those participating, including scores of veterans and serving military personnel.
Hundreds of servicemen and women lined up, and nearly 10,000 veterans marched past the war memorial led by the Coldstream Guards - the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army.
Several thousand onlookers queued up from as early as 7am in chilly and overcast conditions, having travelled from across the country and abroad to watch the service.
There was some concern, however, when a member of the Household Cavalry appeared to faint prior to the ceremony.
Worried crowds watched on with photographs showing the guard lying face down on the ground with their helmet having rolled off their head.
But otherwise, the crowds were in jubilant mood during the march past, with many chanting and singing.
The oldest and youngest people marching have a gap of 90 years between them.
Veteran Roy Farmiloe, 98, was the oldest person at the parade while Evie Hebden was one of a number of eight-year-olds marching with the new youth column, christened Column Y.
Evie's father Royal Marine Ralph Hebden, 32, fell from a foggy cliff while going for a run near their home in Arbroath, Scotland in 2013.
The tragic accident occurred days before Evie's birth.
Ralph was described at the inquest into his death as a "proud" marine who had served five tours of duty.
Prime Minister Mr Johnson said it was a moment to “come together to remember those who sacrificed everything in service of our country”.
He said: “It’s a sacred ceremony that has endured for more than a century because we know the unpayable debt we owe those brave servicemen and women.
“We know that for our tomorrow they gave their today.
“And we know that here at home and around the world, thousands of men and women in uniform still stand ready to defend our unity and our way of life, our values, and at a cost few among us would be willing to pay”.
Labour leader Sir Keir said it was “time for us all to stop, reflect, and remember those millions of people from Britain and the Commonwealth who have kept us safe through their service and sacrifice.”
He added: “Our way of life, our values and our democracy are hard fought for through life-ending and life-changing sacrifice.
“It is that sacrifice that has ensured we can enjoy the freedoms that we live by every day and that we must never forget.”
Last year, the ceremony was closed to the public - with just 26 veterans permitted due to the pandemic.
Prior to today's proceedings, veterans were anticipating a service with added poignancy.
Speaking this morning, an Afghanistan veteran said marching at the memorial again "means the absolute world".
David Atkin said: "It's such a poignant time of year for me having lost friends myself in Afghanistan. It gives me the opportunity to really remember their memory and all the good times we had.
"It's probably even more poignant this year because I know a lot of people, especially from the RAF Regiment Association, who should have been marching there last year and are no longer with us, so they're not able to march this year, so we're doing it for them as well."
The 32-year-old, from Ruislip - who served as a senior aircraftman in the Royal Air Force Regiment, participated in the ceremony for five years prior to 2020.
Last year, Mr Atkin marked remembrance by laying a wreath at the RAF memorial at Embankment, but said it was "strange" not to be at the Cenotaph.
Mr Atkin joined the RAF Regiment in 2008 when he was just 19 years old.
He was deployed to Afghanistan as a machine gunner in 2010, but his military career was cut short when he smashed his spine in a road traffic accident six weeks in.
He has suffered from chronic pain ever since, numbing it with daily high-dose painkillers. He has had six operations on his back and is on the waiting list for another two.
"I've been in pain every day since the accident, so it's quite hard to forget about what happened," he said.
But that does not deter him from joining the remembrance march.
He said: "It is a hard thing to do, but I'm doing it for my friends that will never get the opportunity to because they didn't make it back.
"So even though I'm in pain, I am still here and I have to carry on doing what I'm doing for them, just because I can and they can't."
Stefan Godfree, 51, who served in the Royal Artillery for 17 years, welcomed the event's return to normal after last year's coronavirus-related restrictions.
He said: "Many were upset that last year was scaled back, but we understood why.
"It was strange that there was none of the usual outpouring of loss as the Cenotaph event was very watered down".
Mr Godfree also said this year's event would mean more because it is 30 years on from the first Gulf War, to which he was deployed.
He said: "I lost colleagues there and the day will focus my attention on them.
"It will also be even more personal this year as I've been researching my family tree and several were killed in wars.
"This march will bring all of this together. It brings it all home as to how small the world is and how generations are connected and impacted upon by conflicts."
The Royal British Legion is also celebrating its centenary this year, marking 100 years since the nation's collective remembrance traditions were first brought together.
