George, Charlotte and Louis join royal family for VE Day commemorations
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s children have joined the King, Queen 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 spectacle 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 Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke of Kent.
Nearby were sat Second World War veterans and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and crowds lined The Mall, with some waiting since early morning to secure a good spot to watch events.
Actor Timothy Spall read extracts from wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill’s famous Victory in Europe (VE) Day speech and 100-year-old RAF veteran Alan Kennett formally started the parade when he received the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch For Peace.
VE Day was declared on May 8 1945 and the veteran learnt about the historic news when the doors burst open in a cinema he was in as a soldier drove a jeep into the venue and shouted: “The war is over.”
The Mall was the setting for jubilant scenes that day, with the royal family playing a central role in the celebrations as the crowds gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace.
King George VI and the Queen Mother made eight balcony appearances and were joined by their daughters Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret, who later famously slipped into the crowds in The Mall celebrating the end of hostilities.