More than 30 Second World War veterans attended the celebrations, which included a street party in Downing Street and a tea party inside Buckingham Palace
The Royal Family watched a flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony to mark the start of four days of celebrations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Thousands gathered in front of the palace and on The Mall as the Red Arrows and other RAF planes flew over. The King and Queen were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, their three children, and other senior royals. Monday is the first day of commemorations of the moment Sir Winston Churchill declared on 8 May, 80 years ago, that all Nazi forces had surrendered.
Since Queen Elizabeth II’s death, it is the first VE Day event without a member of the royal family who also waved to crowds from the balcony in 1945. The King stood to salute as personnel from Allied countries, including the US, Germany, and France, joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces in a march towards Buckingham Palace. Crowds also gathered near the Cenotaph – draped in a Union Flag – and fell silent as Big Ben struck 12 o’clock. Actor Timothy Spall read extracts from Sir Winston’s rousing victory speech from beneath the wartime leader’s statue.
More than 30 Second World War veterans attended the celebrations, which included a street party in Downing Street and a tea party inside Buckingham Palace. Prince George and his mother were pictured speaking to veterans inside the palace, with the King appearing in good spirits as he chatted to guests.
Monday’s parade was officially started by RAF veteran Alan Kennett, 100, who in 1945 was in a cinema in Germany when a soldier drove a jeep inside and shouted: “The war is over.” The Royal Horse Artillery led the march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall, while members of the Ukrainian military were also cheered and clapped.
Prince Louis was seen fiddling with his hair in the breezy conditions, apparently mimicking Prince George at one point, while the Princess of Wales sat next to veteran Bernard Morgan. The King’s balcony appearance was his first in public since Prince Harry said his father wouldn’t speak to him, and he didn’t know how much longer he had left. However, a Palace aide insisted the royals were “fully focused” on VE Day events after Harry’s shock interview. VE Day in 1945 marked the end of almost six years of war in Europe, in which 384,000 British soldiers and 70,000 civilians were killed.
It sparked two days of joyous celebrations in London – with an estimated one million people packing the centre of the capital. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an open letter to veterans: “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.” Along with the events in London, people are celebrating across the UK with street parties, tea parties and 1940s fancy dress-ups.
The Palace of Westminster, the Shard, Lowther Castle in Penrith, Manchester Printworks, Cardiff Castle and Belfast City Hall are among hundreds of buildings which will be lit up from 9pm on Tuesday. A new display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London will form another tribute.
On Thursday, a service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a two-minute silence before Horse Guards Parade holds a concert to round off the commemorations. Churches and cathedrals across the country will ring their bells as a collective act of thanksgiving at 6.30pm, echoing the sounds that swept across the country in 1945. Pubs and bars have also been granted permission to stay open for longer to mark the anniversary – two extra hours past 11pm.
