King Charles 'fully focused' on VE Day, Palace says in wake of Prince Harry's bombshell interview

4 May 2025, 19:05

The King is “fully focused” on this week’s VE Day commemorations in the wake of Prince Harry’s bombshell interview, a Palace aide has said.

Prince Harry said he wanted to “reconcile” with his father in the wake of losing his court appeal over taxpayer-funded security - but claimed the King “won’t speak” to him.

Despite Harry’s explosive comments, the King is putting all his focus into celebrating the "selfless devotion, duty and service" of the heroes of World War Two, the Palace said.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s nationwide commemorations, the Palace aide said: "The King, Queen and other members of The Royal Family are much looking forward to all the week's VE Day events, when they will unite with the rest of the nation and those across the Commonwealth and wider world in celebrating, commemorating and giving thanks to the wartime generation whose selfless devotion duty and service should stand as an enduring example to us all - and must never be forgotten."

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The King is set to lead VE Day celebrations in London on Monday, joining British and Ukrainian troops as they mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe.

The events on bank holiday Monday mark the beginning of four days of celebration across the nation up until Thursday May 8, exactly eight decades years since Victory in Europe was declared.

The King, the Queen, the Prime Minister and Second World War veterans will be on a platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.Later, members of the Royal Family will watch the fly past from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will formally start the procession after being handed the Commonwealth War Graves' Torch For Peace by air cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones.

The procession will see more than 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and youth groups march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall towards Buckingham Palace.

Representatives of the Ukrainian military, selected from the UK armed forces' training programme for Ukrainian recruits Operation Interflex, will also take part.

Actor Timothy Spall will open the celebrations in London on Monday when he recites some of Winston Churchill's victory speech from 1945.

The 68-year-old, whose roles include playing Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter film series, will read extracts from the speech in which Churchill told Britons: "This is not victory of a party or of any class.

This comes amid controversy around Prince Harry, whose years-long court battle over security came to an end this week.

The Prince had his security downgraded by the Home Office in 2020, and lost his final appeal of the decision on Friday.

The Duke had argued his private security did not have the necessary clearance to provide proper protection to him and his family when in the UK.

He said he “feared for his life” following the decision - particularly as al Qaida had issued death threats against him following the downgrade of his security.

“I can’t see a world in which I will be bringing my wife and children back at this point.”

Harry then told the BBC in a tell-all interview how he hoped for ‘reconciliation’ with his family - despite believing the court decision was a ‘stitch-up.’

In the bombshell interview, Harry said: "Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book.

“Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But I would love reconciliation with my family."

In reference to his father’s cancer battle, Harry said: "There's no point in continuing to fight anymore.

“Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. He won't speak to me because of this security stuff."

The Duke of Sussex said it's “impossible” to take his family back to the UK safely after losing the challenge.

He added: “For the time being, it’s impossible for me to take my family back to the UK safely.

“I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point, and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything you know.

“I love my country I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.

“So you know? I miss the UK, I miss parts of the UK. Of course I do. And I think that’s it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.”