King Charles will mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on Friday with a message paying tribute to the service and sacrifice of military personnel in the second world war who fought and died in the Pacific and far east, saying they will never be forgotten.
In an address, Charles will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and civilians of occupied lands in the region “whose suffering reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life”.
VJ Day on 15 August marks the anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the allies after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which in effect ended the second world war.
The message will be released at 7.30am BST on Friday, before the king and queen attend a service of remembrance with veterans and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
On Friday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VJ 80 as part of commemoration events planned throughout the UK.
In his six-minute speech, echoing the historic broadcast by his grandfather, George VI, Charles will describe how the heroes of VJ Day “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected”, with victory made possible by close collaboration between nations “across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides”.
He will say this demonstrated how “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link”, and will add the service and sacrifice of veterans and those who lost their lives fighting in the conflict “shall never be forgotten”.
Friday’s televised service, broadcast live by the BBC, will pay tribute to all those who served in the Asia-Pacific theatre, including Burma Star recipients, British Indian army veterans, former prisoners of war, and those who fought in pivotal battles including Kohima and Imphal in India.
Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior figures will leave floral tributes during the service, which will be hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the government.
A national two-minute silence will conclude with an aerial display by the Red Arrows and the service will draw to a close with a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, before the king and queen attend a reception with second world war veterans.
