Veterans are set to join the King for a VE Day tea party today as the prime minister has paid tribute to the «selfless dedication» of the war generation. Among them will be a 99-year-old who took part in the D-Day landings and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive, known as Churchill’s Secret Army.
Director general of the Royal British Legion, Mark Atkinson, said the charity was «proud» to be taking a place «at the heart of these national celebrations and commemorations» on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. He said it would be «one of our last opportunities as a nation to pay tribute to those veterans still with us today». Evacuees from World War Two and veterans who were still in active conflict after VE Day are among the other guests set to attend the tea party, which will take place in the presence of the King and other members of the Royal Family.
At 12pm, the Royal Family will observe a military procession, followed by a flypast. It will be the first major VE Day anniversary without any of the royals who stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on the day victory in Europe was declared, after the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
‘Not just for Britain’
The celebrations come as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised veterans for their «selfless dedication» and thanked them for a «debt that can never fully be repaid» in an open letter ahead of VE Day. He said the stories which will be heard this week from those who fought in the Second World War would be a reminder that the victory «was not just for Britain» but was also «a victory for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny, and evil». Sir Keir said the WW2 veterans «represent the best of who we are» and that without their service «the freedom, peace, and joy that these celebrations embody would not be possible».
Personnel from NATO allies the US, France, and Germany will be among those taking part in the procession in London. The commemorations will begin with the words of Sir Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech, spoken by actor Timothy Spall. Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the capital to witness the celebrations.
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On the anniversary itself on Thursday, marking exactly 80 years since the Allies formally accepted Germany’s surrender, a service of commemoration will be held at Westminster Abbey, to include a national two minutes’ silence. Pubs across England and Wales, which usually close at 11pm, will also stay open for an extra two hours to allow punters more time to celebrate.
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