Keir to the rescue! Prime Minister springs into action to hand Queen Camilla a bottle of water during VE Day military procession
The wife of King Charles, 77, was seated next to the monarch as the couple watched the military procession on Monday - when she suddenly appeared to suffer a coughing fit.
The politician, 62, who was seated in the row behind, quickly stood up and reached down to help Her Majesty with a drink to help.
He knelt to pick up a bottle of water, handing it to Camilla while gesturing to his own throat.
Deeply grateful, the Queen appeared to thank Keir as he sat back down. After taking a sip, she seemed to be feeling much better.
The Royal Family turned out in force to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in London today, watching a stunning Royal Air Force flypast as Britain remembered the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Charles and Camilla were joined by Prince William, Kate and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis along with other senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony this afternoon.
They watched the spectacular display featuring the Red Arrows and a score of historic and current military aircraft, about an hour after viewing a procession through London of 1,300 members of the armed forces and Nato allies.
The flypast at 1.45pm featured planes involved in tensions with Russia - including P8 Poseidons, which carry out reconnaissance missions surveying Russian vessels near UK waters; and Voyager aircraft which deliver equipment to Ukrainian forces and fly Ukrainian recruits to the UK for training.
Crowds gathered below on The Mall also got to see Typhoon fast jets, which are a key part of Nato Air Policing, and fifth generation F-35 Lightning fighters.
Earlier, the royals observed a military procession from a specially built dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace while thousands of people packed the streets as four days of commemorations began.
William shook the hand of one veteran as he passed him to take his seat, and his children followed his example with Kate the last to greet the old serviceman and she sat beside him. He later appeared to show her some photographs.
Louis then briefly struggled to gain the attention of his father - tapping his shoulder repeatedly while William was in conversation.
After a few moments, William turned to his son and they spoke. George, Charlotte and Louis were last seen together in public when they attended the Christmas Day church service on the Sandringham estate.
The military fly past passes over The Mall and Buckingham Palace at the end of the procession for VE Day 80 today
The Princess of Wales and Prince Louis on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast this afternoon
A Ministry of Defence photograph of the Red Arrows and Typhoons taking part in the flypast over Buckingham Palace today
The military fly past passes over The Mall and Buckingham Palace at the end of the procession for VE Day 80 today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London today
Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast featuring RAF planes today
The Royal Air Force team flies past the London Eye as part of the armed forces and veterans' parade this afternoon
Members of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to view the flypast in London this afternoon
King Charles III salutes during the military procession to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day in London today
Prince Louis puts his hand on his father William's shoulder at the event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day today
Grenadier Guards march past the Queen Victoria Memorial during a military procession along The Mall this afternoon
Charles chatted to Joy Trew, 98, 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.
Beside him was Camilla who had Royal British Legion veteran Jack Mortimer on her right.
Hundreds of street parties are also being held across the UK today while formal military events take place in London – while Charles hosted a tea party for some of the last living heroes of the conflict as well as their families. Prince George joined his mother and father to meet veterans at Buckingham Palace, and was seen with William.
George and William spoke with Royal Engineers veteran Alfred Littlefield, 101, who served during D-Day, as William spoke of the importance of preserving veterans' stories.
William smiled as he shook hands with veterans and said it was 'very important' for George and the 'next generation' to hear the stories from those who fought in the war.
George listened intently as his father chatted to Mr Littlefield and William later told veteran Douglas Hyde, who joined the merchant navy aged 18 in 1944, that his son was 'very keen' to ask the ex-serviceman some questions.
Charles was wearing Naval Uniform No.1 dress, with no medals or decorations, as his grandfather King George VI wore on the palace balcony on VE Day in 1945 – while William wore RAF No.1 Uniform.
Camilla was dressed in a sapphire blue wool crepe dress and coat, by Fiona Clare, with the 12th Royal Lancers Brooch, the regiment of her late father Major Bruce Shand.
Kate wore a dress by Emilia Wickstead, hat by Sean Barratt and an RAF wings brooch.
The Duke of Edinburgh wore Army No.2 Service Dress of the Scots Guards, while Duke of Kent wore Field Marshal No.2 Service Dress.
Princess Anne, who was also present, wore the uniform of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) with no decorations.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, wore the military uniform for her palace balcony appearance on VE Day 1945 as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Services.
In Whitehall the Cenotaph was draped in a large Union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered. It is the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
17 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Starmer hails ‘real progress' made during White House summit on Ukraine war
The Prime Minister was one of several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, in attendance for the discussions in Washington on Monday. US President Donald Trump said he spoke directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Mr Zelensky, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself. He also said Moscow will 'accept' multinational efforts to guarantee Ukraine's security. Speaking after the event, Sir Keir described the talks as 'good and constructive', adding: 'There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and president Trump and president Zelensky'. The Prime Minister highlighted 'two material outcomes' from the talks, firstly that the coalition of the willing 'will now work with the US' on security guarantees. 'That's really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the UK,' Sir Keir said. 'The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between president Putin and president Zelensky, that was after a phone call between president Trump and president Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral which will then add in president Trump. 'That is a recognition of the principle that on some of these issues, whether it's territory or the exchange of prisoners, or the very serious issue of the return of children, that is something where Ukraine must be at the table. 'These were the two outcomes that were the most important coming out of today. They're positive outcomes, there was a real sense of unity. We've made real progress today.' Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump also described the talks as 'very good', adding: 'During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. 'Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. 'At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky. 'After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself.' Mr Zelensky participates in a multilateral meeting with European leaders in the East Room of the White House (Aaron Schwartz/PA) Before the White House talks, the US president said he would 'probably' be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine. He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was 'no deal until there's a deal' to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe. 'The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,' Mr Trump said on Monday. 'And this is one of the key points that we need to consider.' He later said: 'We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact.' Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit. Future three-way talks 'have a good chance' of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' he had originally said, before later explaining that, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace'. During the discussions, Sir Keir welcomed plans for a security guarantee, after Mr Trump introduced him at the negotiating table as a 'friend' on Monday. He said: 'Your indication of security guarantees, of some sort of article five-style guarantees, fits with what we've been doing with the coalition of the willing which we started some months ago, bringing countries together and showing that we were prepared to step up to the plate when it came to security. 'With you coming alongside, the US alongside, what we've already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today – a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.' Mr Trump meets with Mr Zelensky in the Oval Office (Aaron Schwartz/PA) Sir Keir also described potential future trilateral talks as appearing to be a 'sensible next step' and continued: 'So, thank you for being prepared to take that forward, because I think if we can ensure that that is the progress out of this meeting – both security guarantees and some sort of progress on (a) trilateral meeting of some sort to bring some of the difficult issues to a head – then I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years.' The PA news agency understands the Prime Minister disrupted his holiday plans over the weekend to join calls, including with Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, before he headed to Washington, as reported in The Times. Following the talks, Mr Trump said he also discussed 'the massive worldwide problem of missing children' with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Responding on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'This issue lies at the heart of the war's humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children were taken. 'We are working tirelessly to bring every child home. The same applies for our prisoners of war and civilians held in Russia for years, some since 2014, in very bad conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed – and this is a part of making peace. 'We will work to negotiate all-for-all prisoners of war exchange, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help.' Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February. Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as 'really good', saying they had been 'the best' so far. Mr Zelensky said: 'We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts.'
Rhyl Journal
17 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Starmer hails ‘real progress' made during White House summit on Ukraine war
The Prime Minister was one of several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, in attendance for the discussions in Washington on Monday. US President Donald Trump said he spoke directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Mr Zelensky, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself. He also said Moscow will 'accept' multinational efforts to guarantee Ukraine's security. Speaking after the event, Sir Keir described the talks as 'good and constructive', adding: 'There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and president Trump and president Zelensky'. The Prime Minister highlighted 'two material outcomes' from the talks, firstly that the coalition of the willing 'will now work with the US' on security guarantees. 'That's really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the UK,' Sir Keir said. 'The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between president Putin and president Zelensky, that was after a phone call between president Trump and president Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral which will then add in president Trump. 'That is a recognition of the principle that on some of these issues, whether it's territory or the exchange of prisoners, or the very serious issue of the return of children, that is something where Ukraine must be at the table. 'These were the two outcomes that were the most important coming out of today. They're positive outcomes, there was a real sense of unity. We've made real progress today.' Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump also described the talks as 'very good', adding: 'During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. 'Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. 'At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky. 'After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself.' Before the White House talks, the US president said he would 'probably' be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine. He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was 'no deal until there's a deal' to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe. 'The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,' Mr Trump said on Monday. 'And this is one of the key points that we need to consider.' He later said: 'We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact.' Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit. Future three-way talks 'have a good chance' of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' he had originally said, before later explaining that, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace'. During the discussions, Sir Keir welcomed plans for a security guarantee, after Mr Trump introduced him at the negotiating table as a 'friend' on Monday. He said: 'Your indication of security guarantees, of some sort of article five-style guarantees, fits with what we've been doing with the coalition of the willing which we started some months ago, bringing countries together and showing that we were prepared to step up to the plate when it came to security. 'With you coming alongside, the US alongside, what we've already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today – a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.' Sir Keir also described potential future trilateral talks as appearing to be a 'sensible next step' and continued: 'So, thank you for being prepared to take that forward, because I think if we can ensure that that is the progress out of this meeting – both security guarantees and some sort of progress on (a) trilateral meeting of some sort to bring some of the difficult issues to a head – then I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years.' The PA news agency understands the Prime Minister disrupted his holiday plans over the weekend to join calls, including with Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, before he headed to Washington, as reported in The Times. Following the talks, Mr Trump said he also discussed 'the massive worldwide problem of missing children' with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Responding on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'This issue lies at the heart of the war's humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children were taken. 'We are working tirelessly to bring every child home. The same applies for our prisoners of war and civilians held in Russia for years, some since 2014, in very bad conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed – and this is a part of making peace. 'We will work to negotiate all-for-all prisoners of war exchange, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help.' Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February. Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as 'really good', saying they had been 'the best' so far. Mr Zelensky said: 'We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts.'
Leader Live
17 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Starmer hails ‘real progress' made during White House summit on Ukraine war
The Prime Minister was one of several European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, in attendance for the discussions in Washington on Monday. US President Donald Trump said he spoke directly with Vladimir Putin to begin planning a meeting between the Russian leader and Mr Zelensky, which will then be followed by a three-way meeting involving himself. He also said Moscow will 'accept' multinational efforts to guarantee Ukraine's security. Speaking after the event, Sir Keir described the talks as 'good and constructive', adding: 'There was a real sense of unity between the European leaders that were there, and president Trump and president Zelensky'. The Prime Minister highlighted 'two material outcomes' from the talks, firstly that the coalition of the willing 'will now work with the US' on security guarantees. 'That's really important for security in Ukraine, for security in Europe, and for security in the UK,' Sir Keir said. 'The other material outcome was the agreement that there will now be a bilateral agreement between president Putin and president Zelensky, that was after a phone call between president Trump and president Putin during the course of this afternoon, followed by a trilateral which will then add in president Trump. 'That is a recognition of the principle that on some of these issues, whether it's territory or the exchange of prisoners, or the very serious issue of the return of children, that is something where Ukraine must be at the table. 'These were the two outcomes that were the most important coming out of today. They're positive outcomes, there was a real sense of unity. We've made real progress today.' Posting on his Truth Social platform after the meeting, Mr Trump also described the talks as 'very good', adding: 'During the meeting we discussed security guarantees for Ukraine, which guarantees would be provided by the various European countries, with a coordination with the United States of America. 'Everyone is happy about the possibility of PEACE for Russia/Ukraine. 'At the conclusion of the meetings, I called president Putin and began arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between president Putin and president Zelensky. 'After the meeting takes place, we will have a trilat which would be the two presidents plus myself.' Before the White House talks, the US president said he would 'probably' be able to find common ground with the leaders on a plan to ward off future attacks on Ukraine. He previously met with Mr Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, where he declared there was 'no deal until there's a deal' to end more than three years of fighting in eastern Europe. 'The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach and I believe, in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine,' Mr Trump said on Monday. 'And this is one of the key points that we need to consider.' He later said: 'We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact.' Mr Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had suggested measures similar to Nato's article five mutual defence provision – that an attack on one member is an attack on the entire bloc – could be offered by the US without Kyiv joining the alliance. 'We were able to win the following concession: that the United States could offer article five-like protection, which is one of the real reasons why Ukraine wants to be in Nato,' Mr Witkoff told CNN over the weekend, as he spoke about the Alaska summit. Future three-way talks 'have a good chance' of stopping the conflict, the US president claimed. But the president appeared to share conflicting views on whether a ceasefire was necessary to stop the war. 'I don't think you need a ceasefire,' he had originally said, before later explaining that, 'all of us would obviously prefer an immediate ceasefire while we work on a lasting peace'. During the discussions, Sir Keir welcomed plans for a security guarantee, after Mr Trump introduced him at the negotiating table as a 'friend' on Monday. He said: 'Your indication of security guarantees, of some sort of article five-style guarantees, fits with what we've been doing with the coalition of the willing which we started some months ago, bringing countries together and showing that we were prepared to step up to the plate when it came to security. 'With you coming alongside, the US alongside, what we've already developed, I think we could take a really important step forward today – a historic step, actually, could come out of this meeting in terms of security for Ukraine and security in Europe.' Sir Keir also described potential future trilateral talks as appearing to be a 'sensible next step' and continued: 'So, thank you for being prepared to take that forward, because I think if we can ensure that that is the progress out of this meeting – both security guarantees and some sort of progress on (a) trilateral meeting of some sort to bring some of the difficult issues to a head – then I think today will be seen as a very important day in recent years.' The PA news agency understands the Prime Minister disrupted his holiday plans over the weekend to join calls, including with Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, before he headed to Washington, as reported in The Times. Following the talks, Mr Trump said he also discussed 'the massive worldwide problem of missing children' with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Responding on X, Mr Zelensky said: 'This issue lies at the heart of the war's humanitarian tragedy – our children, broken families, the pain of separation. At least 20,000 children were taken. 'We are working tirelessly to bring every child home. The same applies for our prisoners of war and civilians held in Russia for years, some since 2014, in very bad conditions. Thousands of people still need to be freed – and this is a part of making peace. 'We will work to negotiate all-for-all prisoners of war exchange, and we are grateful to have strong friends who help.' Mr Zelensky, whom Mr Trump greeted at the door of the West Wing with a handshake earlier in the evening, wore a black shirt with buttons and a black blazer to the meeting at the White House. His attire had appeared to become a point of irritation for Mr Trump during a previous meeting in February. Early in the meeting, the Ukrainian described the talks as 'really good', saying they had been 'the best' so far. Mr Zelensky said: 'We are very happy with the president that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts.'
