Cliff Richard among TV stars honouring fallen heroes

The Queen and other senior royals will join an audience of thousands at the Royal Albert Hall for Saturday’s televised event which will honour the country’s fallen through music and song.

The festival is staged the day before the Monarch, Prime Minister and other national figures gather at the Cenotaph in Whitehall for the Remembrance Sunday ceremony.

One of the highlights of the festival will be a performance by a choir of military spouses whose partners are serving in Afghanistan.

The women have been led by choirmaster Gareth Malone who formed the group for his popular BBC Two television series The Choir.

With their husbands away on operations, members of the Military Wives Choir from the Royal Marines Base Chivenor in north Devon have found their collective voice and will sing Wherever You Are.

BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards will host the festival and amongst the audience will be the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, Duke of York, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Classical crossover artist McElderry will perform To Where You Are, a song from his second studio album – Classic.

Joe was crowned X Factor winner in 2009 and went on to win Popstar to Operastar earlier this year.

In contrast, veteran singer Sir Cliff is well into his sixth decade as an entertainer and will sing with the Royal Air Force Squadronaires, one of the UK’s finest big bands.

Jenkins, a Welsh mezzo-soprano and festival favourite, returns this year to sing a remembrance day tribute to servicemen and women – A Flower from her new album Daydream.

Katherine is a long-term supporter of the Armed Forces and the Legion and her fiancé, presenter Gethin Jones, launched this year’s Poppy Appeal.

English tenor Alfie Boe will sing with the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, from Plymouth.

The Festival of Remembrance will be screened on BBC One on Saturday at 9.15pm.