Pfar away from Ray Mill, the private residence of the Queen Camilla in the county of Wiltshire, a cascade of red poppies has been falling since yesterday on the side of St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral, in the village of Corsham. An installation inaugurated on the occasion of Remembrance DayMemorial Day which in Great Britain is celebrated on 11 Novemberthe date that marked the end of the First World War. And even the sovereign was surprised by the way in which the work was created: each of the 31 thousand poppies used was knitted or crocheted by the volunteers of the Women’s Institutethe organization of which Elizabeth II was also a strong supporter.
Queen Camilla applied the last poppy
Moving and iconic symbols of the anniversary, there were originally only 10,000 poppies, in an initiative launched at the beginning of the year which also intended to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the last war. But once the plan was announced, those responsible soon began receiving boxes of poppies from all over the world. AND in the end they counted 31 thousandcoming from schools, youth organizations, facilities for the elderly and public and private companies, wishing to participate in the project. Camilla, 78, had an important task: to apply the last flower which completed the installation yesterday.
A letter was enough to convince Camilla to participate
The organizers admitted that they took courage and contacted the queen directly, sending them a private letter at the launch of Poppy Project That he asked her to inaugurate the installation in person in the autumn. And the queen’s response was not long in coming: Camilla would have been honored to be present.
Camilla applies the last poppy to the installation dedicated to the Fallen, Corsham, 28 October 2025 (Getty Images)
The crown signed “Camilla R.”
The Queen placed a wreath in front of the permanent tribute to the Fallen in the cathedral, with a message signed simply “Camilla R.”. He then spent time listening to the stories of those who had worked assiduously to create each poppy, in the name of fathers or grandfathers who had fought on the front. And she was moved when Maggie Bowden, member of the Women’s Institutegave her a wreath of handmade poppies to display for the occasion in his home in Ray Mill.
The Queen learns from a group of children how to knit a poppy, Corsham, 28 October 2025 (Getty Images)
The queen’s joke addressed to the volunteers
With on the chest a cross brooch that belonged to Queen Elizabeth, Camilla also visited a Poppy Shopa community center that offers free knitting lessons, and was able to see up close how a poppy is made by knitting or crocheting. «It’s wonderful to see all the generations engaged in a common project», commented Parker Bowles. And he couldn’t help but indulge in a joke: “But the volunteers won’t be able to take it anymore… The poppies will be coming out of your ears!”.