Queen Elizabeth To Attend Memorial Service Marking The End Of British Combat Operations In Iraq

Queen Elizabeth will attend a memorial service to mark the end of British combat operations in Iraq. The 83-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will pay tribute to the troops who have fought in the Middle Eastern nation at the ceremony at London's St Paul's Cathedral on October 9.

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Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said: "This service will provide an opportunity to remember the enormous contribution made by some 120,000 members of the U.K. Armed Forces and their civilian colleagues who have served in Iraq over six years."

"In particular it will be a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those who died and who contributed to the greater peace and stability that exists in Iraq today."

At the service, the royal couple is expected to address soldiers injured in Iraq as well as the families of those killed on active service.

A total of 179 British Armed Forces personnel or Ministry of Defense civilians died during the UK's involvement in Iraq, which began in March, 2003.