The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester join the 10.45am Armistice Day service at Alrewas on Wednesday 11 November. The big screen in Heroes' Square is open to all.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend the Armistice Day service at the Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens in Alrewas on Wednesday 11 November 2026, where the service starts at 10.45am and the national two-minute silence is kept at 11am.

The Gardens, the former National Memorial Arboretum on Croxall Road, sent us its news advisory for the day. It says the Gardens “will lead the nation in commemorating Armistice Day” with a shared Act of Remembrance on the Armed Forces Memorial, attended by the royal couple “alongside veterans, serving personnel, bereaved families, civic and military representatives, and members of the public.”

Overview

  • When: Wednesday 11 November. The Gardens opens at 9am, the service begins at 10.45am, the silence is at 11am and the service ends at about 11.30am.
  • Where: the Armed Forces Memorial, National Remembrance Gardens, Croxall Road, Alrewas, DE13 7AR.
  • Without a ticket: watch and take part from Heroes’ Square on the big screen. The Gardens recommends being in place by 10.30am.
  • Parking: has to be booked, by ticket holders and everyone else.

Who is leading the service

The service will be led by Squadron Leader Mandeep Kaur MBE, the RAF Sikh Chaplain to the British Armed Forces, and the Reverend Clare Callanan, a retired Army chaplain who is Chaplain to the Afghanistan Veterans Community.

After the traditional Act of Remembrance and the silence, the Gardens says, the service “will feature music, poetry, readings and personal reflections, giving a voice to different experiences of service and sacrifice across generations and illustrating the ongoing importance of Remembrance.”

The advisory names four voices from the day: Philippa Rawlinson, the Royal British Legion’s Director of Remembrance; Arji Manuelpillai, Poet in Residence at the Gardens; Geoff Spencer, a Second World War RAF veteran who served with Bomber Command; and members of Talent in the Ranks, the Legion’s artist development programme.

Two clergy stand either side of a standard bearer at the Armed Forces Memorial, with a military band behind and poppy wreaths laid in front
Clergy, a standard bearer and a band at the wreath-laying on the Armed Forces Memorial. Photo: supplied by the Royal British Legion National Remembrance Gardens

Timings on the day

From the Gardens’ advisory:

Time What happens
9am Site opens to ticket holders and the public
10.30am Be in Heroes’ Square if you are watching on the screen
10.45am Service of Remembrance begins
11am Two-minute silence
11.30am Service ends

Can you still go?

Yes, though not onto the memorial itself. The memorial has limited room, so watching from the top of it needs a service ticket, and the Gardens’ Armistice Day page says the application window closed on 27 September and the tickets have been allocated. The Armed Forces Memorial is closed to the general public on 11 November until the service is over.

Everyone else can follow the service from Heroes’ Square, where it is relayed on a large screen. The Gardens’ page says it is free, and it recommends that people are seated there by 10.30am.

Parking is the part to sort before Wednesday. The Gardens expects high visitor numbers, “highly” recommends booking a car park ticket online in advance to guarantee entry and pay less than on the day, and says ticket holders must book parking too. Blue badge holders get Car Park A, next to the Remembrance Centre, as an accessible parking ticket, and there is a pick-up and drop-off point near the Remembrance Centre. Manual wheelchairs (by donation) and motorised scooters (£10) can be booked on 01283 245 100.

What it means for you

Alrewas is in Lichfield district, about a 15-minute drive from the city centre off the A38, so this is the nearest place to see a national Armistice Day service with royal guests. If you want to be there for the silence, book parking now, aim to be through the car park well before 10.30am, and head for Heroes’ Square.

The Gardens’ Remembrance Sunday service comes first, on Sunday 8 November, alongside the Lichfield city parade and Cathedral service. Times, parking and wreath details for both are on our Remembrance Sunday in Lichfield page.

About the Gardens

The Royal British Legion describes the National Remembrance Gardens as “the nation’s year-round place to remember those who have served, and those who continue to serve our country.” It says the 150-acre estate holds “a nationally significant collection of memorials and sculptures remembering the service and sacrifice of members of the Armed Forces, Emergency Services and civilian organisations.”

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