King takes salute as VE Day 80 commemorations begin with military parade
King Charles has taken the salute at the military parade in London that marked the start of four days of national commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Harry Potter actor Timothy Spall started the events by reading extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's iconic VE Day victory speech.
"This is not victory of a party or of any class," Churchill said in May 1945. "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."
Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, who was in the RAF with a Mustang squadron and was in Celle near Belsen on VE Day, formally started the parade itself.
Warrant Officer Class One Andrew "Vern" Stokes, London District's Garrison Sergeant Major, who was sat on a chair in Parliament Square flanked by cadets, asked him 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," Mr Kennett replied.
Mr Kennett had earlier been presented with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Torch of Peace by one of the cadets.
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.
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.
The King 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.
Among the crowds were Lesley Watson and her friend David, who had come to 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.
Ms Watson, whose father joined the East Surrey Tower Corps during the Second World War when he was 17, stressed the importance of remembering veterans.
Massed Pipes and Drums, kitted out in kilts, played Scotland The Brave as they marched down Whitehall, to cheers and claps from 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.
Members of the Royal Family heard from several veterans who served during the Second World War.
King Charles chatted to 98-year-old Joy Trew, who enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force aged 17 in 1944 and served as a wireless operator working at RAF Chicksands Priory in Bedfordshire, a station taking Morse code messages from stations in Germany.
A light drizzle started on The Mall, but crowds carried on waving flags and holding their phones in the air to watch the procession.
The King helped wrap Ms Trew up in blankets as the pair sat next to each other on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Beside him was Queen Camilla, who had Royal British Legion veteran Jack Mortimer on her right.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales was sitting beside another Royal British Legion veteran, Bernard Morgan, who had earlier appeared to show her some vintage photographs.
Veterans then enjoyed a tea party at Buckingham Palace following the parade.
Sandwiches, scotch eggs and scones were on the menu, along with potted shrimps with brown bread and butter, egg and bacon quiche, vegetable pasties and sausage rolls.
There was also 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.
The commemorations will not end there, however.
From 21:00 on Tuesday, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VE Day 80.
These buildings include Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, the Shard, Lowther Castle, Rochester Cathedral, Manchester Printworks, Cardiff Castle, Senedd, Perth Bridge, City Chambers and Belfast City Hall.
On Thursday – the actual anniversary of Victory in Europe Day – a service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence, which is expected to be reproduced across the nation.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "This 80th anniversary is a moment of national unity. A time to celebrate that hard-won peace, honour the memory of those who lost their lives and remember the sacrifices made by so many to secure our freedom.
"Their legacy lives on today in how we stand together in defence of the values they fought for and which bind us together as a nation. This week, we come together to salute their service."
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