
King Charles set to echo grandfather King George VI with six-minute message of support to mark VJ80
His recorded audio address will air at 7.30am across the UK and Commonwealth and echo the broadcast made by his grandfather, King George VI, in 1945.
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Recorded in the Morning Room at Clarence House earlier this month, Charles will say the service and sacrifice of those who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East 'shall never be forgotten'.
He will also honour prisoners of war, and the innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region, whose suffering 'reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life'.
The King describes how the heroes of VJ Day 'gave us more than freedom – they left us the example of how it can and must be protected'.
And he will celebrate how victory in the Far East was achieved by nations collaborating 'across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides'.
In a message of peace coming on the same day Trump faces Putin to end Ukrainian bloodshed, the King will also say: 'In times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link.'
The televised service at the memorial in Staffordshire will pay tribute to all those who served in the Asia-Pacific region, including Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans, former prisoners of war, and those who fought in pivotal battles including Kohima and Imphal in India.
The event, hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Government, will see the King and Queen leave floral tributes, as will other senior figures.
A national two-minute silence will conclude with an aerial display by the Red Arrows.
The service will draw to a close with a fly-past by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, before the King and Queen attend a reception with Second World War veterans.
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Incredible stories of the last heroes of The Forgotten Army as Britain falls silent to mark 80th anniversary of VJ Day
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