Four generations of the royal family have paid tribute to Second World War veterans in a balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The King and Queen, who stood alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, waved to thousands of people from the palace balcony as a Red Arrows flypast continued the commemorations on Monday.
They were joined by the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of Kent.
After the display, Prince George attended a veterans’ tea party with his parents, where he and William spoke with 101-year-old Royal Engineers veteran Alfred Littlefield who served during D-Day, as the Prince of Wales spoke of the importance of preserving veterans’ stories.
William smiled as he shook hands with veterans and said it was “very important” for Prince George and the “next generation” to hear the stories from those who fought in the war.
George listened intently as his father chatted to Mr Littlefield and William later told veteran Douglas Hyde, who joined the merchant navy aged 18 in 1944, that his son was “very keen” to ask the former serviceman some questions.
After their conversation, Mr Littlefield’s granddaughter Samantha Davidson, 58, from Denmead in Hampshire, told PA: “The Prince said George is very interested in finding out about the veterans.
“George even asked my grandfather how old he was during his service.”
She said Mr Littlefield was very happy that George had taken an interest in the past.
Mr Littlefield said: “I’m very proud.”
Veterans smiled and looked up as the flypast went over the palace, and army veteran Joe Mines, 100, could be seen waving while others applauded.
The display narrowly avoided heavy rainfall as the weather changed just as crowds began to disperse.
The spectacle followed a military procession, in which Nato allies marched alongside 1,300 members of the UK armed forces.
Sir Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech, spoken by actor Timothy Spall, kicked off events on Bank Holiday Monday.
There was applause from the crowds as the royals took their seats in the royal box to watch the parade, while William shook the hand of one veteran.
His children followed his example, with Kate the last to greet the serviceman as she sat beside him.
He later appeared to show her some photographs and she took one to give it a closer look.
The King saluted as the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Shortly after the royals took their seats, light drizzle prompted many to put up umbrellas, as the King helped to wrap veteran Joy Trew up in blankets.
The royal family are scheduled to take part in engagements over the next four days, less than a week after the Duke of Sussex told the BBC his father will not speak to him and he does not know how much longer the King has left.
The King and Queen are “looking forward” to the week’s events, and it is understood that, out of respect for the surviving veterans, Buckingham Palace hopes “nothing will detract or distract from celebrating with full cheer and proud hearts that precious victory and those brave souls, on this most special and poignant of anniversaries”.
In Whitehall, the Cenotaph was draped in a large Union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered.
It is the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.
Crowds started to gather on The Mall on Monday morning, with some arriving the day before to secure a viewing spot.
