Prince William Reunites with Royals for Remembrance Sunday After Week Away, as Prince George Marks Major Milestone

After a busy week in Brazil, Prince William reunited with the royal family for Remembrance Sunday.

The Prince of Wales, who missed the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Nov. 8 while flying home from Belém, joined Kate Middleton, King Charles and Queen Camilla at the National Service of Remembrance on Nov. 9.

On Saturday evening, Prince George made his debut at the Festival of Remembrance — a momentous step for the 12-year-old royal. The appearance mirrored his attendance at a tea hosted by King Charles in May for veterans and members of the World War II generation at Buckingham Palace.

“It’s a slow game, and it gets him used to it on the couple’s terms rather than anybody else’s,” a palace insider previously told PEOPLE on George.

Remembrance Sunday, honoring soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth who have died in combat, is held annually at The Cenotaph war memorial in London. After the King and Queen laid their personalized wreaths, which included signature colors and tributes to their predecessors, William laid his own wreath.

William’s wreath was the same that King Charles laid when he was Prince of Wales. It features The Prince of Wales feathers and a ribbon in Welsh red.

For the weekend’s events, the royals all donned red poppy pins on their lapel, the U.K.’s symbol of Remembrance. The tradition, which began in 1921, is believed to have evolved from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.

Remembrance Day itself is on Tuesday, Nov. 11. U.K. citizens observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in recognition of the end of warfare in World War I. The holiday, originally known as Armistice Day, also evolved into Veterans Day in the U.S.

A Century of Remembrance author Laura Clouting previously told PEOPLE that Remembrance is “very personal” for the royal family, as a way to show their gratitude for “the loss of life basically occurring in their name — certainly in the name of the sovereign as the head of state.” 

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The Prince of Wales’ Remembrance Day tribute to the events of the past comes after a long week of celebrations focused on the future.

William made the official trip to Brazil celebrate his 2025 Earthshot Prize, which awards five prizes to innovators from around the world who are tackling important environmental issues. This was the event’s fifth year, marking the halfway point of the decade that William set as his goal to help find solutions to some of the planet’s biggest issues.

Ahead of the Earthshot ceremony, William spent a few days touring around Rio de Janeiro, learning about local conservation efforts and even playing soccer and beach volleyball with some of the local children.

For the ceremony itself, the prince got help from some famous friends like Shawn Mendes, Kylie Minogue and Tom Cruise — who appeared via video message to thank the winners for “reminding us what’s possible when commitment meets purpose.”

As for William, he shared that, halfway through his Earthshot decade, “The optimism I felt in 2020 remains ardent today.”

“It was a mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we’ve felt here tonight, from these innovators. Their work is the proof we need that progress is possible,” he added.