Central London teemed with patriots today, as four day celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day officially got underway.
Thursday, May 8, marks 80 years since the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender, and on Bank Holiday Monday, armed forces from Nato allies joined a procession in the capital before King Charles was joined by four generations of senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Red Arrows flypast.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said this week’s events are a reminder that victory was “not just for Britain”.
Catherine, Princess of Wales selected a berry-purple Emilia Wickstead coat dress, previously worn to welcome the South African Prime Minister to the UK in November 2022, for the occasion. She finished the look with a matching shade Sean Barrett pillbox hat and a gold winged RAF brooch which is thought to nod to her paternal grandfather Peter Middleton, who served as a fighter pilot during the Second World War.
She was joined by her husband, William, Prince of Wales and three children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. The latter celebrated her 10th birthday on Friday, May 2, marked by a new picture taken by her mother during a walking trip to Cumbria earlier in the year.
Prince Louis, aged seven, showed some signs of unrest in his navy suit, white shirt and tie, as he sat in the royal box between his father and Prince George, aged 11, before members of the royal family watched the flypast from the balcony of the Palace.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh opted for spring shades wearing a light pink, double-breasted button gingham dress by Suzannah London and a raised headband. It is an old favourite of the royal, who has also worn the outfit to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 2023 and the Trooping the Colour in 2022.
Queen Camila meanwhile opted for a cobalt blue ensemble with matching hat as she stepped out alongside King Charles. The family will hope that this display of pomp will distract from recent comments made by Prince Harry, in a surprise interview with the BBC, which dominated the weekend’s headlines.
The Princess Royal instead wore the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry uniform, which her late mother Queen Elizabeth II also wore on Buckingham Palace’s balcony, with Winston Churchill, as she celebrated the first VE Day in 1945.
Sir Keir arrived with his wife Lady Victoria Starmer ahead of the military procession. She opted for a white polka-dot maxi dress with long sleeves from Sandro — not dissimilar to an Alessandra Rich polka-dot design worn by Kate Middleton to Royal Ascot in 2022. The dress cost £189.50 from the French, mid-level brand; slightly cheaper than the £275 Me+Em numbers she favoured before the “wardrobe row” prevented members of the Labour party accepting thousands of pounds worth of free outfits.
Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Opposition, dressed for the slight chill in a plain trench coat.
After the flypast, the King hosted veterans, along with key members of the family, at a tea party in Buckingham Palace.
Follow live updates from VE Day 2025 here.
The best dressed attendees at VE Day 2025:
