Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth to visit Poppy Factory

Nov 7, 2012, 12:02 GMT

Queen Elizabeth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth will visit the Royal British Legion Poppy Factory today (07.11.12).

The 86-year-old monarch will take a trip to Richmond, South East England, for her first visit to the building since 1992 to mark the factory's 90th anniversary.

Workers at the industrial unit make more than 36 million replicas of the simple red flowers - which are worn in remembrance of all soldiers who died during wartime - as well as 106,700 wreaths, one million Remembrance crosses, one million larger buttonhole poppies and 100,000 altar poppies.

Poppies are worn around the time of Remembrance Sunday, which is held annually on the second Sunday in November nearest to Armistice Day on November 11 to commemorate the contribution of servicemen and women in both World Wars and other conflicts.

Such is the demand for poppies, staff members have already started crafting some ready for next year's Remembrance Sunday.

The queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales traditionally lay wreaths at the national ceremony in London at the Cenotaph on Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday.

The trio are joined by the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Wessex and the British Prime Minister, who also pay their respects by laying wreaths after a two-minute silence is held at 11am.

It takes place at that specific time to represent the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 when the First World War ended.