Poppy sales were given a boost as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge came together with acting royalty yesterday to support the appeal as it aims to raise more than £1million.
Kate and William joined Barbara Windsor on a 1960s Routemaster bus to High Street Kensington station, where they met poppy sellers.
Across London, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Harry carried out their first joint engagement as they opened the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, while Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the bus to Downing Street where the Poppy Girls performed the appeal’s official song outside Number 10.
The Royal British Legion’s (RBL) London Poppy Day aims to raise more than £1million in a day – making it the largest street collection of its kind.
The mass fundraising event kicked off in Covent Garden where former EastEnders star Windsor joined the Poppy Girls who sang the official single The Call (No Need to Say Goodbye).
William told the former EastEnders star his son George had been “behaving himself this morning”. The Poppy Girls have produced the appeal’s official single The Call (No Need To Say Goodbye) and include 17-year-old Charlotte Mellor, on crutches after a fall.
The bus then went on to Kensington Palace, where it picked up its royal passengers. Kate and William welcomed RBL supporters and members of the armed forces to the palace before boarding the classic bus.
The pair were swamped by members of the public as they walked along Kensington High Street.
Fundraisers were at 80 Tube and train stations across London’s transport network. Music rang out at Heathrow Airport, where 50 pipers and a Scottish dancing troupe were performing at Terminal 5.
There was a more sombre mood at Westminster Abbey where Philip and Harry paid their respects.
The funds raised yesterday will go towards the national Poppy Appeal fundraising target of £37million to allow the RBL to carry out its vital work. The UK’s biggest armed forces charity spends £1.6million every week in welfare support and answers more than 170,000 calls for help.