Spectators at the VE Day parade in central London camped overnight in the cold or arrived in the early hours to secure a good viewing spot, speaking of the importance of honouring Second World War veterans and sharing their hopes of catching a glimpse of the royal family.
Thousands were expected to line the streets of the capital to see the military procession marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The King and Queen will be on a platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, with other members of the royal family expected to make an appearance on the Palace balcony later to watch an RAF flypast.
Caroline Tomlinson, 59, travelled from Doncaster in South Yorkshire to witness the parade, arriving at the Palace at 2pm on Sunday before camping overnight.
She said: “I’ve been watching lots of footage from 1945 when everybody was gathering outside the Palace, so (it’s) just great to be a part of it. Here we are again, 80 years later, to do the very same.
“I got here at 2pm yesterday afternoon, sat in the red chair all night, had a little bit of sleep.
“I’m used to this, I’ve been to the other events. I’ve been to the Platinum Jubilee, the Coronation, the Queen’s funeral, royal weddings. Sleeping over is now my thing.
“It was very cold but I dressed accordingly and got through it. Slept about three times in one-hour bursts.
“I came here alone, the community is always so lovely. I’m absolutely hoping to catch a glimpse of the royals.”
Ms Tomlinson, dressed in Union flags, was among many who got creative with their wardrobe for the occasion.
Two women outside Buckingham Palace made their own dresses – Grace Gothard, from Ghana, sported a Union flag dress and Satvinder Cubb was wearing a dress which bearing the words “Lest We Forget”.
The pair, who arrived in The Mall at 6am on Monday, met at the Queen’s Jubilee and have attended royal events together in handmade dresses ever since.
Maria Crook made her way from Devon to London on Sunday and set up to watch the procession from Whitehall early on Monday morning.
“I think it’s extremely important to pay our respects and honour those who have died for us,” she said.
The 69-year-old, wearing a hat with red, white and blue ribbons tied to it, sat near the Cenotaph and attached a large Union flag with silhouettes of paratroopers on it to the barriers in front of her.
“I came for VE Day in 2005 and the atmosphere was fantastic,” she said.
“I’m going to dash down to Buckingham Palace after I’ve seen the procession. I want to get a great view of the Red Arrows and hopefully see Charles too.”
Lizzie McCrae MacIntyre, a retired Women’s Royal Air Force veteran, arrived at Admiralty Arch at 4am to get a good view of the parade.
Ms MacIntyre, who travelled from Surrey, said: “It’s so important to remember those that didn’t make it home.
“My dad was military, my brother was air force.”
Other spectators also had connections to the armed forces.
David Smith, a Royal Engineer from 1960 to 1972, travelled from Lincolnshire on Sunday to honour the veterans at the parade.
The 79-year-old said: “It’s about patriotism. It’s what we do.”
Mr Smith has marched at the Cenotaph for 26 years and will watch Monday’s parade from The Mall.
A group of women gathered outside the Palace had taken song sheets to hand out to the crowd.
They practised their singing ahead of the parade.
Mandy Ellis, 67, from the Midlands, said: “We do all the royal events. I’ve been doing this 60 years now.
“We all get the gang together – there’s seven of us come down. The oldest is my Auntie Linda, she’s 87. My daughter Cara, she’s the youngest.”
Wearing a Union flag hat, she said: “I sing in the local choir. We’ve had some song sheets over the years for different events so I just adapted them at home. We’ve got everything from Land Of Hope And Glory, We’ll Meet Again, Pack Up Your Troubles, the National Anthem.
“It’s the smallest thing we can do to say thank you for 80 years of peace and the sacrifice everyone made.”
