Anzac Day: Prince William lays wreath at Cenotaph on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, paid tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) by laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London on April 25th.

The ceremony marked the anniversary of the First World War Gallipoli Peninsula landings.

The ANZAC troops were part of the Allied forces that attacked the Turkish peninsula in 1915, in an attempt to take control of the Dardanelles Strait, a critical route towards Russia and the Black Sea.

However, the campaign failed to gain ground, and the forces withdrew from the area eight months later.

The ANZAC spirit is celebrated on April 25th as a show of endurance and discipline.

It is marked with a National Day of Remembrance in Australia and New Zealand.

The High Commissioners of both countries addressed the congregation during the service at Westminster Abbey, along with the Dean of Westminster.

Children from each country read out prayers, and London-based Nati Ranaana performed a Maori wayata, or song.

Prince William was representing his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the ceremony, and was accompanied by his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

She looked elegant in a white Alexander McQueen coatdress, which she previously wore for her daughter Princess Charlotte's christening and for a memorial for the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium in 2017.

She paired the dress with Princess Diana's Collingwood earrings and a sleek matching headband.

Ahead of the service, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, praised the gallant comradeship of the ANZAC spirit in a statement.

They also alluded to the war in Ukraine, with a note of encouragement for those fighting for freedom in the face of oppression.

The future King and the Duchess wrote, “As we pause to reflect on the sacrifice of the armed services personnel of Australia and New Zealand in two world wars, and in other conflicts and peacekeeping operations, our thoughts will also be with those communities around the world who are being torn apart by violence and conflict, and those who are fighting for freedom in the face of oppression.”

The landings have been marked in London since the first anniversary, when King George V sat on the throne.

Prince Charles referenced this in his statement, saying, “In 1916, one year after the Gallipoli landings, my great-grandfather, King George V, wrote on the march of the first ANZACs, ‘they gave their lives for a supreme cause in gallant comradeship.'

106 years later, gallant comradeship remains a defining mark of the uniformed men and women of New Zealand and Australia.