VE Day 2025 LIVE: King Charles and royal family set to lead nation in 80th anniversary celebration
Today marks 80 years since Winston Churchill made a long-awaited announcement - that the scourge of war that had gripped the world for six cruel years was finally at an end. To mark the momentous anniversary, the UK has a day of pageantry on the cards, with events planned to honour those who gave their lives during World War Two to stop fascism in its tracks.
But with the rise of ugly ideologies like those peddled by Adolf Hitler making an appearance across the globe, today's celebrations seem more poignant than ever. A group of veterans has wisely reminded us "to remember is also our best hope of avoiding it ever happening again".
Kicking off events today, a monumental procession of more than 1,300 Armed Forces personnel, uniformed services and young people will march to Buckingham Palace from Parliament Square, where Churchill's iconic VE Day speech will be read by an actor at midday. Second World War veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will then be passed the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace by a young person. The procession will go from Parliament Square, down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall before finishing at Buckingham Palace.
Nexy, His Majesty and Queen Camilla will watch a Bank Holiday procession and fly-past from the Red Arrows.
07:12Ryan Fahey
How Britain will mark VE Day 80: Red Arrows flypast and events across the country
It is nearly eight decades since Winston Churchill drew the curtain on war in Europe – before telling a huge crowd: 'This is your victory.'
And next week Britain will commemorate VE Day's momentous anniversary with a display of characteristic pageantry. Events will honour the dead; those who gave their lives in World War Two to defeat fascism. But they will also remind us, as a group of veterans has poignantly conveyed, that 'to remember is also our best hope of avoiding it ever happening again'. Here, we give you the rundown on what's happening…
Military Procession
Bank Holiday Monday will see a procession of over 1,300 Armed Forces, uniformed services and young people march to Buckingham Palace from Parliament Square. At midday an actor will recite extracts from Churchill's VE Day speech. Second World War veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will then be passed the Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace by a young person. The procession will go from Parliament Square, down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up The Mall before finishing at Buckingham Palace.
Public invited to VE Day 80 fly-past and procession – exact timing and locations
The King and Queen will join Second World War veterans to watch a Bank Holiday procession and fly-past featuring the Red Arrows to mark 80 years since VE Day.
The public are being invited to line the Mall for the May 5 event, which will see over 1,300 people including Armed Forces members marching to Buckingham Palace from Parliament Square. Big Ben striking midday will mark the beginning, with extracts from Winston Churchill's VE Day speech recited by an actor. Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will then be passed a Commonwealth War Graves Torch for Peace by a young person.
The King and Queen are set to join World War Two veterans, as well as PM Keir Starmer, to watch proceedings from a specially built platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial. Other Royals will watch too, including Prince William and Kate.
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Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Fake documents planted on dead body tricked Hitler and won World War 2
The daring plot, in which a homeless man's corpse was planted in the sea to fool Hitler into changing tactics, has gone down in history. But until now no-one knew how important was the role of MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt It's one of the most incredible stories of the Second World War, when a dead body carrying fake documents tricked Hitler and hastened the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. Operation Mincemeat's backstory is now being told in a smash hit West End and Broadway musical. And its British star, Jak Malone, 30, has just won a Tony Award, stage acting's highest accolade, for playing a woman - M15 secretary Hester Leggatt - whose importance in the daring plot has only recently come to light. After collecting his award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor on Sunday, the Liverpudlian star, whose mother was a nurse and father worked in a soap factory, gasped: 'I am hovering above my body experiencing this, watching this happening.' Like most people, Jak didn't know much about Hester when he agreed to the role in 2019, but is now a huge fan, even writing the foreword to a new book I co-authored about her, Finding Hester. In it, he admitted that he agreed to the role because he knew she was just a secretary who didn't play a big part in the plot, so playing her 'would likely give me more opportunity to play additional supporting roles.' But that all changed a few years later when a group of fans of the musical dug up new information, putting Hester at the centre of the daring operation. 'It's an incredible story that I still have trouble believing myself,' Jak said. 'A group of individuals who pull off the unthinkable - a moment in history that truly deserves to shine.' It was in 1943 that the Germans thought they'd got their hands on a briefcase full of British military secrets concerning the impending Allied invasion of Sicily. But it was all a ruse. The documents had been created by MI5 to deliberately mislead Axis forces, and they'd sold the whole thing by planting the briefcase on a corpse they'd dressed up like a British pilot. To make it as believable as possible, they had created a whole life for this man, including giving him a fictional fiancée called Pam. The corpse carried both a photograph of 'Pam' and two love letters from her. The believability of this manufactured life was vital - if the Germans saw through the ruse, dubbed Operation Mincemeat, it would make it clear that the information in the documents was false and give them the advantage they needed in the upcoming battle. Pam's love letters could make or break the invasion plans - they needed to be perfect. Plenty is known about the men behind Operation Mincemeat, but far less information has endured about the women who helped enact it. Jean Leslie, a secretary at MI5, was remembered as being the face of Pam in the photograph included in the briefcase, but the woman who wrote the letters faded into obscurity. In his 2010 book on the operation, Ben Macintyre cites an interview with Leslie towards the end of her life that identifies this second woman as 'Hester Leggett' and, for the next 13 years, that was almost all that was known about her. Leslie also remembered her as a spinster, leading to assumptions that she was an older woman. In the 2021 Operation Mincemeat film based on Ben's book, she's in her 70s. When writing group SpitLip penned the musical, they made her 49. She wasn't 70. She wasn't even 49. Hester was 37 when she wrote the love letters so integral to Operation Mincemeat. In 2023, a group of fans of the West End musical embarked on a mission of their own, unearthing Hester's story from the history books by correcting a misspelling of her surname. Hester Leggett didn't exist, but Hester Leggatt did. They tracked her through archival records, electoral rolls, newspapers and beyond, eventually getting in touch with her nearest living relatives. Hester hadn't spoken much about her war work, so many of them had no idea she'd ever worked for MI5 and had only met her briefly, if at all, towards the end of her life so couldn't supply much further information. One thing they could provide, however, was a box discovered amid paperwork in need of tidying. It was a fairly innocuous box, but it had Hester's name on it. Inside what was once a department store shipping box was a time capsule so perfectly suited to the research in question that it was like Hester had carefully parcelled it up knowing it would one day be needed for this very purpose. Two diaries, including one from the year of Operation Mincemeat, and hundreds of letters were neatly tucked away inside. The research into Hester had set the record straight when it came to her age, but it hadn't been able to entirely disprove the idea of her as the embittered spinster who never knew love. It was certain that she never married or had children, and archival records aren't typically the place to find more private details of someone's life, but this box was a direct insight into her personal life. Hester herself had left irrefutable evidence that she had been the perfect person at MI5 to write love letters to a soldier, because she'd written hundreds of them herself, and this recipient had been real. The object of Hester's affections was Valdemar Bertie Caroe, known to her as Val. Based on the date of their anniversary as noted in Hester's diary, their relationship began on November 25, 1939. She wrote frequently to him when he was posted in Northern Ireland as an army liaison to MI5, and when he was later stationed in France. Her letters reveal her to very much be acting in the role of his wife, concerned with his wellbeing as she wrote 'I do hope you have enough warm things with you. Let me know if I can get anything for you, or if you would like me to knit you another sweater.' In addition to warm clothing she also sends copies of the newspaper for Val to read, and fusses, albeit from a distance, when she knows he's unwell: 'How is your cold, darling my dear - have you really got rid of it? I do wish I could look after you.' Hester also shares frequent gossip with Val, concerning characters they're both familiar with from their work at MI5: 'Max K has recently married a girl called Susie Barnes who was at Oxford, in the Registry, I think, and there is some difference of opinion as to who has made a Big mistake. 'So there you have a nice cross-section of office gossip to take your mind off your troubles.' She had strong opinions about the right way to write love letters - something that would serve her well when writing Pam's as part of Operation Mincemeat - and would chide Val when he wasn't meeting her expectations. 'I don't think that I need explain to you the kind of letters I like to get from you - you used to know how to write them all right,' she wrote. 'You know, quite well, that I never find your letters dull - only rather unsatisfying sometimes. 'It would be rather nice to know if you are missing me + looking forward to seeing me + what you are planning for us. Do I really have to tell you all this?' This was all, finally, evidence to dispel the bitter and unloved myth that still clung to Hester. But her love story, like Pam's, didn't end happily. Val was married to another woman and had been since 1926. According to the 1939 Register, he and his wife were still living together in September 1939, just two months before the day Hester cited as their anniversary. The exact nature of Val and Hester's relationship is unclear. If they were a secret at all, they were an incredibly open one. Hester's diary mentions them going out for meals together with other MI5 employees, and friends so distant that she couldn't remember their names once asked her to pass on their regards to Val. Divorce was possible at the time, but not easy - although Val's wife would have had more than enough evidence to support a petition for divorce on the grounds of adultery if she sought one. Continuing on the way she was, as an unmarried woman in a relationship with a married man, had the potential to end poorly for Hester. And some of the last letters in the box suggest this as the reason their relationship came to an end. She talks rather vaguely, but her words can be read as a desire to formalise their relationship, something it seems she had promised to put off until after the war but could no longer ignore. She wrote: 'It's fairly easy for you to cope with these things, but of course it's quite difficult for me and my dear I think we must try and do something about it as soon as possible. 'Now the war here is over and I have kept my promise to not say anything more about it till then, though it has often been very difficult in many ways […] I can't go on like this much longer, so do write to me as soon as you can and tell me that you are making some plans for us.' Considering the role of the war in delaying any advancements in her relationship with Val, one has to wonder whether one particular line in Pam's letters came from somewhere very personal 'Darling, why did we go & meet in the middle of a war, such a silly thing for anybody to do,' she wrote. Val did not divorce his wife. When he died in 1960, he left everything to her, suggesting they still had some kind of relationship. Although there is no clear proof, it seems like Hester's relationship with Val ended in 1945 after he could not, or would not, be the husband she wanted. Regardless, the collection of Hester's letters reveal her to have spent the war very much in love, even if it was potentially against her better judgement. She was the perfect candidate to write the Pam letters, perhaps using them to imagine that one day she would be writing to her own fiancé. It was a reality she was ultimately denied.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
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Kate's secret pep talk with 'disappointed' Louis during major royal event
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Rhyl Journal
10 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
PICTURES: Strikemaster pair perform over Rhyl Beach
Rhyl resident Adrian Evans captured incredible photos of the Strikemaster pair, which flew over Rhyl Beach, on June 8. The historic aircrafts roared above gardens and practiced impressive manoeuvres on their way to The RAF Cosford Air Show. Talking about snapping photos of the BAC 167 Strikemasters, Adrian said: "I was in the kitchen when I heard the noise, grabbed my camera, and rushed upstairs to the balcony, trying to get some shots through all the trees surrounding us. The jets roar into the sky - the pilots show off their skill! (Image: Adrian Evans) "I've heard many people lament the absence of Rhyl Air Show - it was well-loved, drawing visitors from far and wide, and always highlighted Rhyl in a positive light amidst all the negative news that tends to circulate. "From what I understand, they couldn't hold the air show this time due to ongoing sea defence work as it would have posed safety concerns. "I enjoy photographing a variety of subjects, though I don't know much about planes or the military." The fabulous Strikemaster at dive speed (Image: Adrian Evans) Many residents took to the Rhyl Today Facebook page to share their excitement after spotting the aircraft overhead. One person wrote: "I was lucky enough to see it all from my bedroom window. It's a pity more people didn't know in advance - only a handful were at the Kite Surf Café." Another shared: "They did three vertical loops, and then they were gone." A third commented: "Absolutely brilliant view from my place - loved it!" Others echoed the excitement: "They looked amazing - I saw them flying along the coast," said one. "They did the loop right over my caravan," added another. One user wrote: "They were heading to RAF Cosford today. I watched the display there - it was fantastic. Bring back the Rhyl Air Show!" MORE NEWS How much was spent on failed Denbighshire Leisure sale – full cost breakdown SC2 water park in Rhyl to reopen after 17-month closure The Rhyl Air Show took a break in 2024. The event, organised by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL), which typically draws thousands to Rhyl, was postponed due to the Red Arrows being on an international tour to celebrate their 60th anniversary. The Red Arrows have been a key feature of the show in previous years. Jamie Groves, Managing Director of DLL, said at the time: "We have concluded that it would be impossible for DLL to deliver a show in keeping with the proud tradition of the Rhyl Air Show, which also meets public expectations, but we will come back in 2025 stronger." The show is not expected to take place this August, and no official announcement has yet been made. The Red Arrows' full 2025 display schedule has been published - and Rhyl is not on the list this year." Work on the Central Rhyl Coastal Defence Scheme is ongoing. Work is set to continue this Summer.
