Queen Elizabeth sheds tears at memorial service for fallen soldiers

In a rare public show of emotion, Queen Elizabeth was moved to tears at the service for fallen soldiers of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment on Tuesday. She has unveiled a new memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which reads, “Our Kingsmen Lions of England.”

The 90-year-old monarch was seen wiping her eyes with her gloved hand while a tear rolled down her cheek as she attended the short service attended by about 250 guests. She then placed a wreath on the memorial with a message that reads, “In memory of the glorious dead. Elizabeth R.”

The service was to dedicate the sculpture of the regiment’s emblem, the Lion of England.

The Queen is the colonel-in-chief of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, which was founded in 2006 and formed from the merger of the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, the King’s Regiment and the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment. According to the Telegraph, the regiment lost 32 soldiers from death in its service, including 19 from injuries sustained on operations.

The Buckingham Palace did not comment on the Queen’s emotions, however, refusing to confirm whether she shed a tear upon remembering a particular sad moment during the service.

“We are not going to make a definitive judgment on her emotions. They are private and personal,” a source told the paper.

Following the ceremony, the Queen chatted with injured veterans and the families of the fallen soldiers.

It is rare for Queen Elizabeth to show any strong emotions in public. The last time she was seen tearing up was in 1997 during the decommissioning ceremony of the royal yacht Britannia. The HMY Britannia, decommissioned by the country’s Labour Party as cost-cutting measure, served the Queen for over 40 years.