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Her Majesty is set to invite German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to mark the centenary of the Armistice signed by the Allies of WW1– inlcuding the UK and France – and the German empire.
The agreement saw the end of WW1 hostilities on the Western Front in 1918.
Mr Steinmeier will be the only head of state to join the Queen at the televised celebrations, taking place at Westminster Abbey on November 11.
The German President has been invited in a bid to reflect the reconciliation between the two countries when the Armistice was signed 100 years ago.
A high-level Whitehall source said: “There have been German representatives involved throughout the commemorations but it is fitting that the current German president should be present at the main commemoration with the Queen in November.”
Oscar-winning film director, Danny Boyle will be taking part in the television commemoration, hoping to “invite communities across the UK to come together in marking 100 years since the Armistice”.
He plans to encourage everyone to write a name of a soldier on a biodegradable paper and send it to the sea, to commemorate how soldiers travelled to Germany by sea to sign the Armistice in 1918.
Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies will be given secret access WW1 footage, as well as 600 hours of audio interviews, from the The Imperial War Museum, and ‘bring to life’ what soldiers experienced back then.
French President Emmanuel Macron will also host a commemoration service in Paris, inviting more than 80 states to the event.
Mr Macron said that “peace is currently losing ground every day” as he urged heads of states to brainstorm ideas for the peace forum, keeping the centenary promise of “never again”.
In 2014, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge travelled to Belgium for Armistice celebrations, along with German President, Mr Steinmeier.
Meanwhile, the Queen held a candle-lit vigil at Westminster Abbey to honour the veterans who sacrificed their lives during WW1.
Armistice Day is commemorated every year on November 11 to mark the end of hostilities on the Western front, and was signed between allies of the World War – France, US and the UK – and the German empire at Compiegne, France.
Although the armistice ended the fighting, it needed to be prolonged three times until the Treaty of Versailles, which was signed on June 28 1919, took effect on January 10 1920.
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