Duke and Duchess of Gloucester Honor Veterans, Active Military During Armed Forces Day

Today, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, along with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and his wife, Sarah, attended the very first Armed Forces Day celebrations at the Historic Dockyard, in Chatham, Kent. This is not the first time that Great Britain has honored the military; the event was previously known as Veteran’s Day. The name has been changed to Armed Forces Day, in order to include the thousands of men and women who currently serve in the British military, according to a report by the BBC.

In addition to the Duke and Duchess, 30,000 people attended today’s events, which included a fly-over by the Red Arrows and the Royal Air Force’s Battle of Britain Memorial Display Team. Throughout Great Britain, concerts and parades are taking place in many cities. Despite the fact that Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales were unable to attend, they did send greetings of “deep and enduring gratitude” to the veterans and military members, and the Queen presented campaign medals to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Edinburgh.

Currently, British military members are serving in 11 different nations, as well as working with the UN. There will be more events throughout the week in honor of the Armed Forces.

For more information about the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, please visit this thread.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Armed Forces Day, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Military, Prime Minister Brown of the United Kingdom, The Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Gloucester, The Prince of Wales.

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