Closing summary
Thank you for reading today’s live blog on the UK marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. This blog will be closing shortly but you can see all the Guardian’s VE Day coverage here.
Here is our main story from today:
Plus, here is a summary of the day’s events:
Senior royals joined thousands of people in London to observe a military procession and RAF flypast that began a series of commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe. King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined in the royal box by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to watch the procession. They later watched the RAF flypast, including a display by the Red Arrows, from the Buckingham Palace balcony. Afterwards, a tea party for 30 second world war veterans aged from 98 to 104, and about 20 evacuees and others who lived through the war, was hosted by the king and queen at the palace.
Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces for the parade, with the words of Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech spoken by actor Timothy Spall kicking off events for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
In Whitehall, the Cenotaph was draped in a large union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered. It was the first time the war memorial had 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. The commemorations featured displays by the Red Arrows and street parties took place across the UK.
Keir Starmer, who was also at the London procession, said the week’s events were a reminder that victory was “not just for Britain” as personnel from the US, France and Germany joined the military procession. In an open letter to veterans, he said: “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.”
Starmer was greeted with applause from guests as he joined the VE Day street party in Downing Street after the parade. The prime minister, joined by his wife, Victoria, walked out of No 10 holding a plate of cakes, which he then handed out to some of the guests. Starmer then picked up a commemorative teapot and walked around the tables to serve tea before taking his seat.
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, began the military procession which set off down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace. The procession officially began shortly after midday when Kennett received the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace by air cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones. Thirty further veterans attended official events on Monday, including 26 who watched the procession in London.
Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits, also took part in Monday’s military procession, receiving cheers and applause from the crowds gathered. The Nato detachment, which included personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, marched in the procession wearing the uniforms of their nations under the Nato flag.
The royal family are scheduled to take part in engagements over the next four days. King Charles and Camilla 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”.
Updated
Here are some more images from today’s commermorations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day:
The Princess of Wales asked for a copy of a book written by a second world war evacuee as the royal family commemorated VE Day, the author has said.
Margaret Wood was evacuated from Chingford in east London to the Midlands at the start of the war, where she remained until 23 May 1945.
Wood said the Kate had asked for the book during their conversation at the Buckingham Palace tea party. She said of their encounter:
I have written a book about my time as an evacuated and it was published. She asked for a copy.
As Big Ben chimed at noon and with the Cenotaph, the symbol of sacrifice, draped in the union flag for the first time since its unveiling in 1920, the UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with military pomp before large crowds who had gathered in central London.
Buckingham Palace may have served as the centrepiece of Monday’s spectacle before Thursday’s anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. At the event’s heart, however, were the VVIP second world war veterans, those remaining few who bore actual witness then and who today serve to remind.
Back in 1945, Britain allowed itself a brief period of rejoicing on VE Day with overwhelming relief and optimism at Germany’s surrender after long wartime years of deprivation and huge loss of life on all sides.
On Monday, the first of four days of commemorations, tribute was paid with a 1,300-strong military procession, a flypast, marching bands, massed pipes and drums, and youth cadets.
The procession set off from beneath the bronze gaze of Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square and ended outside the palace. Elsewhere, street parties were held across the UK.
Thousands crowded on to the Mall, many waving red, white and blue flags. Watching from a dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial were the king, queen, senior royals and the prime minister, Keir Starmer, sitting alongside those who had served in the war and who were wrapped up both in their memories and against the spring chill.
As Big Ben fell silent, the actor Timothy Spall boomed aloud words from Churchill’s victory speech beginning: “My dear friends, this is your hour.”
Starmer hosts VE Day street party in Downing Street
Keir Starmer was greeted with applause from guests as he joined the VE Day street party in Downing Street.
The prime minister, joined by his wife, Victoria, walked out of No 10 holding a plate of cakes, which he then handed out to some of the guests. Starmer then picked up a commemorative teapot and walked around the tables to serve tea before taking his seat.
Updated
King Charles followed in his grandfather’s footsteps 80 years on as he chose not to adorn his uniform with medals at the VE Day parade.
Charles wore the naval No 1 dress uniform to see Monday’s military procession and flypast in central London.
He elected not to wear medals, reflecting the same choice made by King George VI when he stepped on to the Buckingham Palace balcony on 8 May 1945.
The queen paid tribute to her family’s military legacy with a 12th Royal Lancers brooch – her late father’s regiment – pinned to her sapphire blue wool crepe dress and coat. Her father, Maj Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during the second world war and was awarded the Military Cross in 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk, and again in 1942 for his efforts in north Africa, and was later wounded and taken prisoner while fighting in the same region.
On Monday, the Princess of Wales also wore a brooch fit for the occasion – an RAF wings pin. Kate’s grandfather served in the RAF as a fighter pilot during the second world war. The Prince of Wales was dressed in the RAF No 1 uniform.
The Princess Royal wore the uniform of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps), emulating what the late Queen Elizabeth II wore when she was a princess appearing on the palace balcony on VE Day in 1945.
Members of the royal family watched the parade on Monday from a specially built platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial before making their way to Buckingham Palace’s balcony to watch the flypast overhead.
Updated
This year’s VE Day commemorations will take on extra poignancy given the fading of the “greatest generation”, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It will be the last major commemoration for which “anyone will still be alive who actually served in the second world war,” monarchy specialist Robert Hazell of University College London told AFP.
“It’s important to remember some of the poor devils who didn’t make it like I did,” 99-year-old Royal Air Force veteran Dennis Bishop told AFP.
The first part of the 80th anniversary commemorations on a chilly Monday morning in London was the draping of two huge union flags on the Cenotaph war memorial.
Hundreds of people set up camp outside Buckingham Palace with chairs and rugs. “It’s so emotional to be here today. Eighty years of peace and peace of mind. Where would we be without them?” asked Patrick Beacon, 76, who arrived with his wife at about 7am BST (6am GMT) to get the “best view”.
Tourists included 52-year-old Ludivine Batthelot from southern France. “We came out of curiosity because it’s the kind of celebration that the English do so well,” she told AFP. “It’s folklore, we wanted to be in the mood and live the experience.”
At Buckingham Palace, the Prince of Wales told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield his son Prince George was “interested” in learning about veterans, Littlefield’s granddaughter says. Samantha Davidson, from Denmead in Hampshire, said:
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 that Littlefield was very happy that George has taken an interest in the past. Littlefield himself said: “I’m very proud.”
Updated
Guests have begun to arrive for a VE Day street party hosted by the prime minister at Downing Street.
Two long tables lined with red and gold chairs on the street were decorated with flowers, miniature union flags and table mats. Each seat was given a commemorative plate and mug with the words ‘VE Day 80’ written on them, while food served on the tables included Victoria sponge cake, scotch eggs and pork pies.
Among the guests were second world war veterans Ruth Brook Klauber and Colin Deverell; both aged 101.
Bunting was hanging over the tables and draped over the ground floor windows of No 10. Musicians from the Grenadier guards military band played songs to the guests as they received drinks on arrival.
Updated
A new display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London is part of commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe.
The poppies have been set to resemble a wound to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the war.
The poppies are on loan from the Imperial War Museum and were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins '‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ installation at the Tower in 2014, commemorating the centenary of the first world war.
The new display, created by designer Tom Piper, is on view from 6 May until Armistice Day on 11 November.
Street parties are being held in towns and cities across the UK. Local authorities have offered support for communities and organisations wishing to hold a VE Day street party, with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations.
My colleague, Martin Belam, is in central London and watched the RAF flypast from Waterloo Bridge. He has shared a photograph for the live blog and this note:
A sizeable crowd had gathered on Waterloo Bridge, which was on the path of the flypast.
Buses stopped to let passengers see the planes go overhead, and several taxis tooted their horns to salute the flypast.
Following the flypast, King Charles and Queen Camilla will host a tea party reception for about 50 veterans and members of the second world war generation at Buckingham Palace.
According to the PA news agency, veterans will enjoy sandwiches, scotch eggs and scones at the tea party. Also on the menu are potted shrimps with brown bread and butter, egg and bacon quiche, vegetable pasties and sausage rolls. There will also be lemon and carrot cake, chocolate cake, treacle tarts and strawberries and cream.
They will dine on large tables in the Marble Hall which has been decorated in bunting made from fabrics recycled from the Royal estate.
RAF flypast in pictures
Here are some images from the flypast for the 80th anniversary of VE Day:
Updated
Members of the royal family watched from Buckingham Palace’s balcony as the VE Day flypast soared over.
King Charles and Queen Camilla as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children were on the balcony.
The first aircraft, a Lancaster Bomber, reached the palace at 1.45pm BST with more planes following behind.
Veterans watching in Buckingham Palace smiled and looked up as the flypast went over, reports the PA news agency. Army veteran Joe Mines, 100, waved as the planes went over, while others applauded.
Politicians including prime minister Keir Starmer, London mayor Sadiq Khan, foreign secretary David Lammy and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch joined veterans and actor Timothy Spall on the Buckingham Palace garden steps to watch the flyover.
They were serenaded by a brass band as they waited for the aircraft. Some of the group applauded, waved and pointed as the first planes flew over the palace.
RAF flypast begins as royals watch from Buckingham Palace balcony
Crowds have gathered in front of the gates of Buckingham Palace as the RAF flypast begins.
Earlier, a line of police officers walked hundreds of spectators forward along the Mall past the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Many people in the crowd are waving flags, while children are being carried on shoulders to ensure they can catch a glimpse of Buckingham Palace, reports the PA news agency. Amid windy conditions and grey skies, there is a jovial atmosphere with members of the public taking photos and videos as they move towards the palace.
Updated
Crowds cheered loudly as the military displayed the Ukraine flag as they marched towards Buckingham Palace, reports the PA news agency.
Military bands played medleys of second world war-era music as they marched.
Here are some more images via the newswires as crowds move towards Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF flypast and see the royal family on the balcony:
Members of the royal family are expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the Royal Air Force (RAF) flypast. The Red Arrows flypast is scheduled fo r1.45pm BST.
It is understood there are no plans for any changes to the flypast despite the weather, reports the PA news agency.
Summary of the day so far
If you’re joining the live blog now, here is a summary of the day’s events so far:
Senior royals have joined thousands of people in the London rain to observe a military procession to begin commemorations marking the end of the second world war in Europe. King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined in the royal box by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to watch the procession.
Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the UK armed forces for the parade, with the words of Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech spoken by actor Timothy Spall kicking off events for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
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. The commemorations will feature displays by the Red Arrows and street parties will take place across the UK.
Keir Starmer, who was also at the London procession, said the week’s events are a reminder that victory was “not just for Britain” as personnel from the US, France and Germany were among those joining the military procession. In an open letter to veterans, he said: “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.”
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, began the procession which set off down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace. The procession began after Kennett received the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace by air cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones. Thirty further veterans are to attend official events on Monday, including 26 who will watch the procession in London.
Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits, also took part in Monday’s military procession. The Nato detachment, which included personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, marched in the procession wearing the uniforms of their nations under the Nato flag.
Members of the royal family are later expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast. The royal family are scheduled to take part in engagements over the next four days. King Charles and Camilla 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”.
Updated
The military procession has now finished and the national anthem will be played shortly.
Members of the royal family will then watch a flypast from the palace balcony where, 80 years ago, George VI, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made multiple appearances before a cheering crowd.
Later, King Charles and Queen Camilla will host a tea party reception for about 50 veterans and members of the second world war generation at Buckingham Palace.
Updated
In Whitehall, the Cenotaph has been 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 for the 80th anniversary VE Day military procession.
The commemorations will feature displays by the Red Arrows and street parties will take place across the UK, reports the PA news agency.
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, began the military procession which set off down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace.
Thirty further veterans are to attend official events on Monday, including 26 who will watch the procession in London, reports the PA news agency.
The list includes Royal Navy veteran Albert Keir, 99; Royal Engineers veteran Alfred Littlefield, 101; Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran Bernard Morgan, 101; army veterans Arthur Oborne, 99, and Tom Stonehouse, 99; and Royal Marines veteran Francis James Grant, 99; who all served during D-day.
The Nato detachment, which included personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, marched in the procession wearing the uniforms of their nations under the Nato flag.
Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits, also took part.
The BBC’s royal correspondent, Sean Coughlan, who is reporting from the Mall says that there was appaluse from the royal viewing platform as the Ukrainian contingent walked past in the military procession, carrying the blue and yellow flag of their country.
Massed Pipes and Drums, kitted out in kilts, played Scotland The Brave as they marched down Whitehall, to cheers and claps from some of the crowd.
As the final groups in the procession passed the Cenotaph, many spectators began to follow them towards the Mall to see them make their way towards Buckingham Palace, according to the PA news agency.
King Charles stood and saluted as the start of the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Before the procession arrived, cadets and scouts watching on cheered and waved to the royal family from the paths nearby, reports the PA news agency.
Here are some images of the VE Day 80th anniversary military procession coming in via the newswires:
Updated
The military procession is under way. As mentioned previously, you can watch live coverage of it via the stream at the top of this blog.
Also, for ease, here is the map of the parade route which was posted in the blog earlier:
Crowds cheer as Ukrainian military take part in VE Day procession
Crowds on Whitehall cheered and clapped as Ukraine’s marching detachment passed the Cenotaph.
Some spectators stood on walls and street furniture to get a better view of the procession, reports the PA news agency.
There was a sea of colour down Whitehall as the Band of the Irish guards, wearing red, marched down Whitehall, closely followed by the flags of the Commonwealth nations.
Royals join veterans as 80th anniversary VE Day military procession underway
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s children have joined King Charles, Queen Camilla and veterans to watch a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe.
The procession of 1,300 members of the armed forces and Nato allies, past some of London’s most famous buildings and monuments and ending at Buckingham Palace, commemorates the service of those who fought to bring peace to Europe and the rest of the world.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis made a rare public appearance with their parents William and Kate to see the ceremony which began a few minutes before they arrived at the royal box.
Charles and Camilla led the royal party sat in the shadow of the Queen Victoria Memorial who included the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Adm Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of Kent.
Nearby were sat second world war veterans and prime minister Keir Starmer. Crowds have lined the Mall, with some waiting since early morning to secure a good spot to watch events.
Updated
Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, who was in the Royal Air Force (RAF) with the Mustang Squadron and was in Celle near Belsen on VE Day, formally started the VE Day procession in central London on Monday.
Garrison Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class One Andrew Stokes, of the Coldstream guards, asked Kennett, who sat on a chair in Parliament Square flanked by cadets, for permission to march.
He said:
Thank you and your generation for securing our freedom 80 years ago. May I have your permission to start the parade please?
“Carry on,” Kennett replied. Kennett had earlier been presented with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Torch of Peace by one of the cadets.
Actor Timothy Spall has kicked off commemorative events for the 80th anniversary of VE Day in London as he delivered some of the words of Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech.
Speaking in Parliament Square in front of a statue honouring Winston after Big Ben struck midday, Spall said:
My dear friends, this is your hour.
This is not victory of a party or of any class. It’s a victory of the Great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny.
Wearing a dark grey suit, Spall continued:
Every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle.
When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of men and women fail? I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island, but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we have done and they will say: ‘Do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be unconquered’.
Updated
You can follow the television coverage of the VE Day 80th anniversary ceremony via the live stream at the top of this blog. You may have to refresh the page to see it.
VE Day 80th anniversary commerations begin with Churchill reading by Timothy Spall
The actor Timothy Spall, who portrayed Winston Churchill in the film The King’s Speech, has begun the VE Day 80th anniversary commerations by reading extracts from the wartime prime minister’s VE Day broadcast.
Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will formally start the procession after being handed the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace.
Updated
Members of the royal family and government officials have been arriving for the VE Day 80th annivesary ceremony. Live television coverage showed the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, taking his seat shortly before Big Ben chimed at 12pm.
Foreign secretary, David Lammy, has also been pictured arriving.
Updated
Reporters from the PA news agency have been speaking to members of the public who have turned out to watch today’s military procession:
“I just love the celebration of it all,” said Laura Bill, a 1940s re-enactor from Staffordshire. The Bill family, who all dressed in 1940s-style clothing for the parade, travelled for three hours to Buckingham Palace.
She said:
We’ve done reenactments all over the country.
We shop at vintage shops a lot. There are traders at events who we buy clothes from. Today is about coming together, and I’m so excited for it.
Jacqueline Bill, Laura’s mother, said:
It’s great to do this as a family. It’s more of a social thing. We know a woman who collects 1940s wedding dresses, we’re hoping to meet up with her later.
Lesley Watson and her friend David are in Whitehall to witness the parade.
David, who did not wish to be fully named, said:
We are here to show the veterans who are on the parade that we support them and we will carry on the tradition.
David, who worked in the Royal Navy for 12 years, wore medals he received for his time working in what was then called Yugoslavia from 1993 to 1995.
Watson, whose father joined the East Surrey Tower Corps during the second world war when he was 17, stressed the importance of remembering veterans. “My father is not alive now but he would have been 97,” she said.
Two women gathered outside Buckingham Palace made their own dresses for the occasion.
Grace Gothard, from Ghana, describing her union flag dress, said:
I made this dress personally. So anytime there’s any Royal occasion I make my own dresses. It took two weeks to make. The last one was the king’s coronation and that dress is in a museum now.
Satvinder Cubb, wearing a dress which reads ‘Lest We Forget’, added:
I also made my dress. I had a union flag one before but this year I wanted something simple to represent all the soldiers that actually fought. It took just a few hours to make because it’s actually two flags joined together. And I don’t have a sewing machine so it was all by hand.
The pair met at the queen’s jubilee and have attended Royal events together in handmade dresses ever since, reports the PA news agency. They arrived at the Mall at 6am this morning.
Cubb added:
I know people who have actually fought in the war. I have a very close friend, he’s 94 and was 14 at the time. It’s just about thanking them all. We’re here for a reason and have freedom now.
It’s important for us to be a part of it.
Updated
With the military procession to begin soon, those taking part in the parade have been getting into position.
About 1300 members of the armed forces, including the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British army and the Royal Air Force, along with Commonwealth nations, Ukraine, and Nato allies are taking part in the military procession for VE Day.
If you or your friends and family have memories of the end of the second world war in Europe, the Guardian community team would like to hear from you.
Do you have stories or photographs of the celebrations? Were you or a family member a child at the time, or still in active service on VE Day, and if so where? Perhaps you have letters or mementoes from that period.
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Ahead of today’s military procession, Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said:
80 years ago millions of people celebrated the end of the second world war in Europe. This week, we will recreate this moment across towns and cities, in our homes, in pubs and on our streets.
We must do all we can to ensure that the stories and memories of this period in our history are not forgotten. We must not forget the hardships, the heroics and the millions who lost their lives.
We are here because of the sacrifices they made and the horrors they endured. This week, I urge the nation to come together and send a powerful message: we will remember them.
Actor Timothy Spall has been pictured this morning rehearsing Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech, in front of the statue of the war time leader. Spall will do this reading at 12pm before the military procession begins.
Here are some images coming in via the newswires today:
The procession route: map
At 12pm BST, actor Timothy Spall will read part of Winston Churchill’s VE Day broadcast. A military procession will then begin, making its way from Parliament Square towards Whitehall, passing by the Cenotaph, before heading to Buckingham Palace via the Mall near Trafalgar Square. You can see the full procession route in the map below:
At 1.45pm, King Charles and Queen Camilla will watch a flypast of current and historic military aircraft over Buckingham Palace.
People are beginning to gather near the Cenotaph ahead of the procession at noon.
Maria Crook, 69, travelled from Devon to London on Sunday and set up to watch the procession from Whitehall early this morning.
“I think it’s extremely important to pay our respects and honour those who have died for us,” she told the PA news agency.
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.
Crook said:
I came for VE Day in 2005 and the atmosphere was fantastic.
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.
Updated
As we await the start of today’s ceremony in London, the PA news agency has been speaking to those that have travelled to the city to watch the parade:
One group of women gathered outside Buckingham Palace have brought along song sheets to pass out to the crowd. They practised singing their songs 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.
David Smith, a military 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.”
Smith has marched at the Cenotaph for 26 years and will watch the parade on Monday from the Mall.
His wife, Muriel, said:
Where we live in Lincolnshire, the ‘bomber county’, there is always a bomber base five miles from you. There’s still air raid shelters where we live.
About the parade, the 77-year-old said:
I just love the songs, the ceremony, everything. I’ve heard some stories about Victory Day. Some naughty stories!
Lizzie McCrae MacIntyre, a retired Women’s Royal Air Force veteran, arrived at the Admiralty Arch, Westminster at 4am to see the parade.
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.
Geoffrey York, 71, said: “We are all ex-military.”
The Household Cavalry veteran said:
We were here for the coronation, we camped out for three nights for the queen’s funeral. It’s a big day for us to pay our respects.
My dad was a prisoner of war in Tobruk, Libya. He escaped in 1944.
Street parties will be held in towns and cities across the UK as part of the special events – including community tea parties, 1940s dress-up events, and gatherings on second world war warships, reports the PA news agency.
Local authorities throughout the country have offered support for communities and organisations wishing to hold a VE Day street party, with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations.
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 is also set to form another touching tribute. The poppies have been aranged to resemble a wound to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the war.
A service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence of reflection and remembrance on Thursday, where veterans will be part of the congregation. Horse Guards Parade will then hold a live celebratory concert to round off the commemorations.
Pubs and bars have also been granted permission to stay open for longer to mark the anniversary. Venues in England and Wales which usually close at 11pm will be able to keep serving for an extra two hours to celebrate on Thursday.
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, the Church of England said.
Updated
Photos from VE Day in 1945 showed joyous scenes across London as crowds gathered to celebrate victory over Nazi Germany.
Updated
Ten years ago, the Imperial War Museum released colourised, amateur footage shot in London on Victory in Europe Day that showed how people in their thousands turned out to celebrate in the capital.
The actor Sheila Hancock, who was evacuated from her London home during the second world war, wrote for the Guardian on her memories of VE Day, reminding readers that it was a muted celebration marked as much by tragedy as triumph.
In an extract, she writes:
This month, we are commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day, and I worry that we will turn it into a yet another jingoistic celebration of the second world war. Yes, in 1945 we were relieved that the bombs and doodlebugs and rocket weapons had stopped, and we heard there was fun going on in the West End of London – but where I lived it was less jubilant. The war there felt far from over: we were still waiting anxiously for the return of the young lad next door from the rumoured horror of a Japanese prisoner of war camp, and many of my friends were trying to accept as fathers strange men they barely knew. The unspeakable details of the Holocaust were being revealed, and I imagine the grownups were utterly exhausted and often grief-stricken. For five years, they had lived under the threat of occupation. Churchill said we would fight them on the beaches and never surrender, but he did not deny that we could be invaded. In fact, it was a miracle we were not. And that threat is what the grownups lived with, and presumably, being unequipped, knew they could not withstand.
More than 30 veterans of the second world war are to attend celebrations in London to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The Royal British Legion has worked with their families and the government to ensure as many as possible can be there to see 1,300 members of the armed forces take part in a procession through London, PA Media reports.
The charity will also host a VE Day tea party and service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on 8 May, the anniversary of VE Day, where they expect to see more than 40 Second World War veterans.
A total of 31 veterans are to attend official events on Monday, including 26 who will watch the parade, which will head from Parliament Square to Whitehall, then to Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch, The Mall, and finally to Buckingham Palace.
RAF veteran Alan Kennett, who will turn 101 on May 29, will formally start the parade as he receives the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace from air cadet warrant officer Emmy Jones.
Mr Kennett was in a cinema in Celle, north-central Germany, when the doors burst open as a soldier drove a jeep into the venue and shouted: “The war is over.” He said the cinema erupted with joy, and celebrations soon spread through the streets.
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The British public is largely unaware of the contribution made by soldiers from Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica and Kenya to the second world war, research has found, as campaigners say greater recognition of the diversity of those who fought against fascism will strengthen national unity.
Community affairs correspondent Chris Osuh writes:
Before the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May, a FocalData poll for the thinktank British Future, which works to highlight integration, found “a strong public appetite” for greater awareness and teaching in schools of the diversity of the war effort – but a lack of knowledge about the contribution of Black and Asian personnel.
The research found 86% of respondents agreed “all those who fought for Britain in the world wars, regardless of where they came from” should be commemorated and 77% felt remembering the “shared wartime history” of British and Commonwealth troops could help build cohesion in today’s “multi-ethnic society”.
But only 24% of respondents were aware troops from Jamaica and Kenya fought for Britain, while only 34% were aware of Muslim soldiers’ contributions and only 43% knew about the service of Sikh personnel.
The findings of the poll, from a representative sample of 1,079 adults, come as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) urges people to reflect on the “loss of so many from across the globe” this VE Day, which marks the official surrender of Nazi Germany.
Garrison Sergeant Major Vern Stokes, who is in charge of the VE Day military procession, said the participation of Ukrainian and Nato troops is a reminder that “allies really do matter”.
He told BBC Breakfast that it is “right” for Ukrainian and Nato troops to take part in the procession in central London, where from midday 1,300 people will march along The Mall.
He said: “Eighty years ago we were stronger together and today we are stronger together, and it’s just a reminder for us that allies really do matter and it’s nice for them to be able to take part.”
Calling veterans the “VVIPs”, he added: “Today is very much their day and we’re very proud to be able to honour them.”
Eighty years after Winston Churchill addressed the nation from Downing Street with the words “This is your victory!” a recitation of his famous VE Day speech will be broadcast as the nation commemorates the day the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender in 1945.
The actor Timothy Spall, who portrayed Churchill in the film The King’s Speech, will read extracts from the wartime prime minister’s VE Day broadcast on Monday, as the Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, formally starts the procession.
In Whitehall the Cenotaph has been 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 have started to gather on The Mall, with some arriving on Sunday evening to secure a good viewing spot.
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old Normandy veteran, will start the procession in London which is set to march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.
The King, Queen, Keir Starmer and second world war veterans will be on a platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Members of the royal family are later expected to make an appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the RAF flypast.
On VE Day 1945, the then Princess Elizabeth, dressed in her Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, slipped out of the palace and joined the cheering crowds outside incognito. She once described it as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”. Following her death in 2022, this year will be the first landmark VE Day commemoration without any of the royals who stood on the balcony that day.
A Nato detachment, which will also include personnel from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden, will march in the procession wearing the uniforms of their respective nations under the Nato flag.
Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces’ training programme for Ukrainian recruits Operation Interflex, will also take part.
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What is VE Day?
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on 8 May 1945 was the day the allies accepted Nazi Germany’s surrender in the war in Europe. The war in the East did not end until 15 August 1945, when Japan surrendered on a day celebrated as Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).
At 3pm BST Winston Churchill spoke to the nation and announced that Germany had signed an unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Forces and Soviet High Command. “Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight,” he said.
Later he made another speech, to cheering crowds, after he had made his way down Whitehall and on to the balcony of the ministry of health. Crowds had massed in Trafalgar Square and along the Mall to Buckingham Palace.
My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It’s a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year.
“There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in? Were we down-hearted?
“The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it.
“So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered. When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail?
“I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we’ve done and they will say: ‘Do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be-unconquered.’
“Now we have emerged from one deadly struggle – a terrible foe has been cast on the ground and awaits our judgment and our mercy.
“But there is another foe who occupies large portions of the British Empire, a foe stained with cruelty and greed – the Japanese. I rejoice we can all take a night off today and another day tomorrow.
“Tomorrow our great Russian allies will also be celebrating victory and after that we must begin the task of rebuilding our hearth and homes, doing our utmost to make this country a land in which all have a chance, in which all have a duty, and we must turn ourselves to fulfill our duty to our own countrymen, and to our gallant allies of the United States who were so foully and treacherously attacked by Japan.
“We will go hand and hand with them.
“Even if it is a hard struggle we will not be the ones who will fail.”
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Starmer praises ‘selfless dedication’ of armed forces before VE Day anniversary
Keir Starmer has praised the “selfless dedication” of those who have served in the military before the anniversary of VE Day as the government unveiled a new £50m support system for veterans.
In an open letter to mark 80 years since the end of the second world war in Europe, the prime minister said the sacrifice made by members of the armed forces was a debt that could “never fully be repaid”.
He said the country would show how thankful it was during events to commemorate VE Day, which signalled the end of fighting on 8 May 1945.
“It was also a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil,” Starmer wrote. “VE Day is a chance to acknowledge, again, that our debt to those who achieved it can never fully be repaid.”
Starmer said his thoughts would turn both to those who served in the second world war and those who carried “the torch of their legacy” today.
“Alongside our history and our values, service is the other great force that binds a nation together,” he said. “So this week, I want you to know: the whole nation is inspired by the selfless dedication of your example.”
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Timetable of events
Midday BST: The ceremony begins in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, and an actor will recite extracts from the iconic Winston Churchill VE Day speech. A young person will then pass the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace to Alan Kennett, 100, a Second World War veteran who served in the Normandy campaign. The Torch for Peace is an enduring symbol, honouring the contributions made by individuals, which will act as a baton to pass and share stories to future generations.
At 12.10 BST The procession will make its way to Buckingham Palace. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will then lead the procession from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph which will be dressed in Union Flags, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace where the procession will finish.
They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. Cadets from all three services and other uniformed youth groups will also take part in the procession to ensure the message of VE Day is handed down to a new generation.
The Prime Minister and Second World War veterans supported by the Royal British Legion will watch the procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
The King and Queen will be joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales to watch the procession
At 1.45pm BST a flypast featuring the Red Arrows and current and historic aircraft will take place
The King and Queen will host a tea party at Buckingham Palace for veterans, families and members of the wartime generation.
VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and community events will take place around the country.
Welcome to live coverage of the UK commemorations of VE Day. On 8 May 1945, Winston Churchill announced that the war in Europe was over and crowd took to the streets to celebrate.
Commemorative evens will be held across the UK and further afield over the next week to mark the anniversary with a procession down Whitehall and a flypast from the Red Arrows over central London later today.
There will be a service in Westminster Abbey on Thursday and, in August, another commemoration of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day).
