THE Royal Family has never revealed the reason the queen wears a collection of five poppies on Remembrance Sunday, leaving the topic surrounded in speculation.

Every year The Queen and other members of the Royal Family undertake engagements focussed on the Armed Forces and commemorating those who have died in world wars and other conflicts.

In recent years, during these engagements, instead of the traditional single poppy, The Queen has been pictured wearing a number of the scarlet flowers arranged above a brooch.

READ MORE: Remembrance Day: Why do we wear poppies and when to start wearing them?

Despite people’s obvious interest, the House of Windsor has never disclosed exactly why Her Majesty does this and if it is symbolic in some way.

South Wales Argus: A portrait of the Queen wearing a spray of five poppies painted by Darren Baker to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion. Picture PAA portrait of the Queen wearing a spray of five poppies painted by Darren Baker to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion. Picture PA

What might The Queen’s five remembrance poppies represent?

Without hard facts, most resort to guesswork resulting in a number of theories arising.

Style
For some people the answer is pretty straightforward – it’s simply the design of this bespoke remembrance poppy, five poppies arranged as a corsage.

Symbolic
A popular theory behind The Queen’s five poppies is that there is one for each of the services in the World Wars: the Army, RAF, Navy, Civil Defence and Women.

Sign of seniority
A less likely idea is that it’s a sign of The Queen’s seniority at any given Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day ceremony. For example, if other dignitaries are wearing three poppies, Her Majesty will show rank by wearing five.

The correct way to wear a Remembrance Day poppy

The Royal British Legion (RBL) have confirmed there is no ‘correct’ way to wear a poppy.

An RBL spokesperson said: “It’s a matter of personal choice whether someone chooses to wear a poppy and how they choose to wear it.

“The best way to wear a poppy is simply with pride.”

READ MORE: Poppy Day: What do purple, black and white poppies mean on Remembrance Day?

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall launched this year’s Poppy Appeal in October, posting on their official Twitter account saying: “The significance of the poppy is as relevant today as it ever was, while our Armed Forces continue to be engaged in operations overseas and often in the most demanding of circumstances.”

If you would like to show your respects this year with something more striking than the paper poppy, the RBL online Poppy Shop have a range of pin badges and brooches which you can use year after year.