Royals to join veterans at VE Day service at Westminster Abbey to mark 80 years since end of World War Two in Europe
8 May 2025, 07:17 | Updated: 8 May 2025, 13:34
The King and Queen will join veterans for a VE Day service to mark 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe.
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Sir Keir Starmer, Prince William and Kate will also be there for the VE Day service.
There will be a national two minute silence at midday.
White roses will be handed to veterans at Westminster Abbey.
Over the weekend, the day was celebrated with commemorative events including a procession in central London and a flypast over Buckingham Palace.
The military procession of more than 1,000 people made its way down the Pall Mall, as the Royal family - including Kate and William and their children - watched on from the Palace balcony.
Before the procession arrived, cadets and scouts watching on cheered and waved from nearby.
The King stood and saluted as the start of the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Actor Timothy Spall began the celebrations by reading extracts of then-PM Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech.
Across the country, people hosted street parties, with local councils waiving road closure fees to encourage participation.
VE Day marks the day when the Allied forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, bringing an end to World War II in Europe.
The surrender was signed on May 7 in Reims, France, and took effect the next day.
It followed Adolf Hitler’s death on April 30, signalling the collapse of the Third Reich.
However, the war in the Pacific continued until Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, known as VJ Day.
