Princess Anne unveils restored Guards Memorial at centenary ceremony
The Princess Royal unveiled the newly restored Guards Memorial and laid a wreath at Horse Guards Parade in London on October 16, 2026.
She attended the Household Cavalry's centenary dedication as Senior Colonel of the Foot Guards, the honorary Army role that links her to the infantry regiments which mount guard at Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and other royal residences. The Royal Diary had listed the Princess for the engagement at 69 Horse Guards Road, London. Royal.uk
The service marked 100 years since the memorial was first unveiled. That first unveiling was performed by the Duke of Connaught, and 15,000 First World War veterans attended. Milford Mercury
The memorial honours British and South African soldiers who died between 1915 and 1918 and have no known grave. It is a stone record of loss without a burial place. A rededication keeps that record in public care after restoration work, with the act of unveiling done again.
The Household Cavalry — the Army's mounted ceremonial troops who ride as the monarch's escort on state occasions — organised the centenary dedication. Princess Anne also holds the post of Colonel of The Blues and Royals, one of its two regiments. The titles are working military appointments, not ceremonial extras. They explain why she was asked to unveil and lay the wreath.
She stopped during the ceremony to speak with 100-year-old John Barber, who served with the Irish Guards from 1944 to 1948. The Irish Guards are one of the Foot Guards regiments. He was a direct link to the generation that followed the men named on the memorial. Hello!
A YouGov poll reported on the day put positive views of the Princess at 67 percent, placing her ahead of the Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales. Poll ratings move from month to month. The diary does not.
What makes this stand out is the symmetry. Veterans filled the ground a century ago. Serving soldiers, veterans and families filled it again. The words were brief. The stone did the rest.
