Just the day after the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games have finished, the Commonwealth family has come together again in the same city to mark the 100th anniversary of Britain's entry into WWI, exactly a week after the conflict started.
1,100 people, including Commonwealth royals, politicians and dignitaries attended the service this morning at Glasgow Cathedral.
The service featured poems, prayers and readings, reflecting the contribution of those from around the Commonwealth.
Prince Charles's arrival was heralded by a fanfare by trumpeters from the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland.
Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, was wearing the Royal Navy Ceremonial Day Dress with medals. He is Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy.
Opening the service, Reverend Laurence Whitley, Minister of Glasgow Cathedral, said: 'We meet because on a summer's day like this one, one hundred years ago, the world changed. Our nations and peoples found themselves in a war the like of which had never before been seen and the memory of which still haunts us all.'
In London at 10pm - an hour before war was officially declared 100 years ago - a televised service of solemn commemoration will be held at Westminster Abbey.
Key figures there will include the Duchess of Cornwall, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Metropolitan Police commander Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.
The service will include the gradual extinguishing of candles, with an oil lamp extinguished at the tomb of the unknown soldier at 11pm - the exact hour war was declared.
In the same hour, the nation has been urged to switch off lights in places of worship, public buildings, workplaces and homes, and leave one light burning as a symbol of hope in darkness.
Among the buildings taking part in an hour-long lights switch-off tonight will be the Houses of Parliament, the BBC's Broadcasting House in London, the Eden Project in Cornwall, Blackpool Tower on the Lancashire coast, St Paul's and Durham cathedrals, and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Also expected to join in are office buildings including Barclays in Canary Wharf and Marks & Spencer.
The centenary commemorations, known officially as Lights Out, are organised by 14-18 Now, a nationwide cultural programme to mark 100 years since the start of the war.
More than 1,100 people including dignitaries from around the Commonwealth have attended a service to mark the centenary of the start of the First World War.
Prime Minister David Cameron, First Minister Alex Salmond and the Prince of Wales were among those at Glasgow Cathedral today to honour the millions who died in the conflict.
The service featured poems, prayers and readings, reflecting the contribution of those from around the Commonwealth.
Prince Charles's arrival was heralded by a fanfare by trumpeters from the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland.
Charles, who is known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland, was wearing the Royal Navy Ceremonial Day Dress with medals. He is Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy.
Opening the service, Reverend Laurence Whitley, Minister of Glasgow Cathedral, said: 'We meet because on a summer's day like this one, one hundred years ago, the world changed. Our nations and peoples found themselves in a war the like of which had never before been seen and the memory of which still haunts us all.'
Others at the service included Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband, Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie.
Day of commemorations: Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales arrives at Glasgow Cathedral to attend a memorial service to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War
Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine arrive at the service along with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond
Former ITV News at Ten host Sir Trevor McDonald introduced many of the readings, and reminded the congregation that by the end of the war 6,352,000 men from across the British Isles had seen service, with 791,000 killed and 1,600,000 wounded.
He also paid tribute to the those from around the Commonwealth who fought in the conflict.
Veteran BBC broadcaster Kate Adie also gave a reading, highlighting the role of women in the conflict, while Joanne Thomson, a 2014 graduate of the Royal Conservatoire Scotland, read a passage by the widow of poet Edward Thomas about their last night together before he was killed in the war.
The Prime Minister read a passage on service from St Mark's Gospel, while others chosen for readings included Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of Australia, Mr Gordon Campbell, High Commissioner for Canada, and Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae, Governor-General of New Zealand.
The Duke of Rothesay laid a wreath followed by Mr Cameron and Glasgow Lord Provost Sadie Docherty, and Mr Clegg and Mr Miliband also laid wreaths.
Following the memorial, the Duke and Mr Cameron attended a reception at the City Chambers on George Square.
They were introduced to the family of Henry May, from Bridgeton, Glasgow, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the life of a comrade in France in October 1914.
Meanwhile in Kent, Prince Harry wore full military dress for commemorations in Folkestone attended by more than 800 veterans and civilians.
Wearing his No 1 dress Blues and Royals, the fourth in line to the throne laid a wreath in memory of all those who lost their lives in the Great War after unveiling a memorial arch to remember the men and women involved in the First World War.
The monument on The Leas marks the route - walked by the Prince today - millions of soldiers took as they marched to the town's harbour to start their journey to the battlefields of France or Belgium.
The Queen, who is currently on holiday in Scotland, was due to attend a local service close to Balmoral at Crathie Kirk while her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was to attend a similar event at Sandringham Church.
Charles himself has a link with the conflict as his own great uncle Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon was killed in the Battle of Loos which preceded the Somme campaign.
His wife Camilla's family suffered the loss of three brothers, who would have been her great uncles, in the 1914-18 war including one - Henry Cubbitt - who died at the Somme in 1916.
The Duchess of Cornwall will tonight attend a moving candlelit Vigil of Prayer Service in Westminster Abbey. Prince Andrew is attending a service of commemoration at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast while the Earl and Countess of Wessex will be at Guildford Cathedral.
Princess Anne is also attending a service of commemoration in the WW1 memorial chapel at Carisbrooke Castle. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will be at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.
Today, a national day of commemoration, events marking the anniversary of the start of the Great War were being held in London, Glasgow and Belgium, will begin a four-year Government-led programme of remembrance.
One hundred years to the day since Britain entered the First World War, the poppies which became such a poignant symbol of the bloodshed still grow from the fields where hundreds of thousands lost their lives.
The sun rose over the battlefields of Belgium and northern France this morning ahead of a day of ceremonies to mark the momentous date in history and remember those killed in the conflict.
At 11pm on August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany, ushering in four years of appalling tragedy.
Before the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, millions of lives were lost, including more than 750,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, in what was the bloodiest conflict the world had known.
Mr Cameron, who lost a relative in September 1914, said: 'A hundred years ago today Britain entered the First World War and we are marking that centenary to honour those who served, to remember those who died, and to ensure that the lessons learnt live with us forever.
'It is right to remember the extraordinary sacrifice of a generation and we are all indebted to them because their most enduring legacy is our liberty.
'That’s why we remember it, because of the scale of the slaughter, the way it changed our world.'There was a cause that people rallied to, and I think it’s worth remembering that alongside obviously the appalling loss of life and the effect it had on our communities.
'I think that’s one of the reasons we remember the First World War – because it so profoundly changed our world; changed our world in lots of bad ways, but also in some good ways – the emancipation of women, the fact that women then got the vote, participated more in the workforce, there were changes in medicine, massive improvements in our world.
'All those things are worth remembering and that’s why as a government and as a country, we should be refurbishing our war memorials, which we are; we should be sending children to go and visit First World War battlefields; we should be studying these things properly in our schools'.
At the Tower of London, a striking sea of blood-red ceramic poppies has been installed flowing out of the Tower and into the dry moat – one flower for every life lost.
The work is the idea of artist Paul Cummins and is titled Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red. It will eventually include 888,246 poppies, representing all the British or colonial military fatalities in the war.
It will grow over the summer, and the last poppy will be planted on November 11, symbolically marking the end of the First World War.
Each poppy will be available to buy for £25, with proceeds shared among military charities. It is just one of the commemorations taking place across the country.
Attention will turn the services across the channel this evening, with royalty and poltical leaders gathering at the St Symphorien cemetery in Belgium at 6.30pm. Also attending that ceremony will be Iris Hunt, great-niece of Private John Parr, the first of 704,000 British soldiers to die.
How and why he died remains a mystery because when he was fatally shot at the age of 17 on August 21, 1914, it was two whole days before the fighting at the Battle of Mons had even begun.
His mother continued to write him letters for months after his death until she was eventually told of his fate. Mrs Hunt, 75, told the Sunday Times she was attending to 'link a mother with her son'.
In Glasgow, the Prince of Wales will attend a service at the city's cathedral, followed by a wreath-laying service and march-past at the Cenotaph in George Square.
Lord Provost of Glasgow, Councillor Sadie Docherty, said: 'I hope people will be inspired over the coming four years to learn more about their own family and community war history.'
In London at 10pm - an hour before war was officially declared 100 years ago - a service of solemn commemoration will be held at Westminster Abbey.
Key figures there will include the Duchess of Cornwall, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Metropolitan Police commander Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.
Mr Clegg said: 'Sixteen million people perished in World War I. It's an almost unimaginable number of people who died in a war which still shapes the world as it is today.'
Mr Miliband said: 'Young men from across Britain served alongside soldiers from across the world - from the Indian sub-continent to Africa, from Australia to the Caribbean.
'We must also remember those who served their country in other ways, from nurses who risked their lives on the Western Front to those who played their part on the Home Front.'
The service will include the gradual extinguishing of candles, with an oil lamp extinguished at the tomb of the unknown soldier at 11pm - the exact hour war was declared.
In the same hour, the nation has been urged to switch off lights in places of worship, public buildings, workplaces and homes, and leave one light burning as a symbol of hope in darkness.
Among the buildings taking part in an hour-long lights switch-off tonight will be the Houses of Parliament, Broadcasting House in London, the Eden Project in Cornwall, St Paul's and Durham cathedrals, and Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Also expected to join in are office buildings including Barclays in Canary Wharf and Marks & Spencer.
The centenary commemorations, known officially as Lights Out, are organised by 14-18 Now, a nationwide cultural programme to mark 100 years since the start of the war.
Buildings around the UK, including Blackpool Tower, will take part in the Lights Out commemoration between 10pm and 11pm tonight
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