Crowds cheer as Red Arrows and Typhoons soar over Palace to conclude flypast

Crowds along The Mall cheered as the Red Arrows soared over Buckingham Palace – part of the 80th anniversary commemorations for Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of the war in 1945.

Many people held their phones high in the air to record the moment as the waves of aircraft flew overhead.

The King and Queen waved from the balcony and were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, among other royals.

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Army veteran Joe Mines, 100, waved as the planes went over, while others applauded.

Politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, London mayor Sadiq Khan, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, joined veterans on the Buckingham Palace garden steps to watch the flyover.

People waved flags and shouted "God save the King" as the flypast brought together some of the RAF's most iconic aircraft – from the Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight to modern frontline fighters like the Typhoon and F-35B Lightning.

The Avro Lancaster led the way, one of only two still flying anywhere in the world, having taken off from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire.

Operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, it symbolises the RAF's role in the Second World War and the sacrifices made by Bomber Command.

Next came the Voyager, the RAF's largest aircraft, and the A400M Atlas followed – a tactical airlifter capable of low-level flight and short-strip landings, regularly used on operations around the globe.

Behind them, the C-17 Globemaster thundered past, a staple of British military logistics.

The fourth wave brought a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, two Typhoon FGR4s, a Rivet Joint, used for electronic surveillance, and two F-35B Lightnings – the UK's newest fast jets.

And bringing the flypast to a dramatic close were the Hawks of the Red Arrows, accompanied by four more Typhoons.

Commemorations will continue later this week, with a national service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday 8 May, the exact date of VE Day in 1945.