King and Queen to host veterans at Buckingham Palace VE Day tea party
The King, Queen, Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Royal and other members of the family will turn out in force to join the nation in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe with a military flypast, and a service and concert at Westminster Abbey.
Members of the public are invited to line the Mall on Monday, May 5, to watch a procession from the Armed Forces, music, and a flypast of modern and historic aircraft that will culminate with the Red Arrows.
The Royal family will watch from the Buckingham Palace balcony, with veterans, the Prime Minister and other senior guests viewing it from the West Terrace in the garden.
Shortly afterwards, the King and Queen will welcome around 50 guests – Second World War veterans and those who manned the Home Front – into the palace for a tea party, recreating the decorations of the era with bunting made from fabric recycled from the Royal estates.
Guests will be drawn from British and Commonwealth Armed Forces veterans, Wrens, special operations executives and those who contributed to the war effort in Britain. All are now supported by the Royal British Legion and will be accompanied by their families or carers.
The party will be attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Edinburghs, Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke of Kent, whose father died in the Second World War and who, at 89, is the only working member of the Royal family with memories of living through the conflict.
On May 8, the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the full working Royal family will attend a service at Westminster Abbey and the King and Queen will watch an evening concert of Second World War-era songs and stories from veterans at Horse Guards Parade.
The younger generation, including Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, is likely to attend some of the events.
The week of commemorative events will see the King lead the nation in marking the event, likely to be the final landmark anniversary at which veterans, the youngest of whom are now in their late 90s, will be present.
On VE Day itself, the young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were famously allowed to go out 'incognito' to join crowds in front of the palace for the celebrations. Queen Elizabeth II later recalled it as 'one of the most memorable nights of my life'.
The government is encouraging the public to host their own VE Day 80 street parties, picnics and 'community get-togethers' to mark the anniversary.
The London events, coordinated by DCMS, are designed to 'pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought, the children who were evacuated, and those who stepped into the essential roles on the Home Front'.
The Monday procession will begin in Parliament Square when Big Ben strikes midday, with an as-yet-unnamed actor reciting extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's VE Day speech.
Alan Kennett, a 100-year-old veteran who served in the Normandy campaign, will carry the 'Torch for Peace', a symbol of passing his generation's stories onto the next.
A procession of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery will pass from Parliament Square, down Whitehall and past the Cenotaph – which will be dressed in Union Flags – through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall through to Buckingham Palace.
They will be followed by a tri-service procession group featuring marching members of the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the British Army and the Royal Air Force. It will end with a fly past featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft.
Mr Kennett, who travelled to Normandy with the Royal British Legion for D-Day 80, said: 'It is a huge honour to be part of the military procession to start the VE80 commemorations.
'I remember Battle of Britain pilot Johnnie Johnson bursting in and shouting 'the war is over'. A big party soon followed, filled with lots of drinking and celebrating the news.
'The 80th anniversary of VE Day brings back so many memories, and it will be such a privilege to be there with everyone.'
The commemorations will also include Queen Camilla viewing the reinstated exhibition of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London on Tuesday, May 6.
On the 8th, the Royal family will join the two-minute silence at Westminster Abbey, laying wreaths at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and flowers at the Innocent Victims' Memorial.
A concert that evening will be hosted by Zoe Ball, with performances of music from the 1930s and 40s and veterans telling their stories on stage.
Lisa Nandy, Culture Secretary, said: 'VE Day 80 is a chance for us to come together and celebrate our veterans and ensure their legacy of peace is passed on to future generations.
'Whether by watching on TV or having a street party with neighbours, everyone can take part. 'This is one of the last chances we have to say thank you to this generation of heroes, and it is right that we do just that.'
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