His Majesty The King will join Second World War veterans in London tomorrow for a military procession and fly past to mark VE Day 80
- Hollywood actor Timothy Spall will read Churchill speech
- Iconic buildings across the country will light up from Tuesday evening in tribute
- National two-minute silence will be held at 12 noon on Thursday
Four days of national commemorations to the Second World War generation kick off in London tomorrow with a recital of iconic Winston Churchill speeches by Hollywood actor Timothy Spall.
Timothy Spall will start the events by reading extracts from Churchill's iconic VE Day victory speech in 1945. Normandy veteran Alan Kennett, 100, will formally start the procession after being handed the Commonwealth War Graves' Torch For Peace by Air Cadet Warrant Officer Emmy Jones.
The procession, featuring more than 1,300 members of the Armed Forces and youth groups will march down Whitehall, through Admiralty Arch and up the Mall towards Buckingham Palace where Their Majesties The King and Queen, as well as Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and a number of Second World War veterans will be on a specially built platform on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
A fly past, which Members of the Royal Family will watch from the Balcony at Buckingham Palace, will conclude Monday's events. From 9pm on Tuesday evening, hundreds of buildings across the country will be lit up to mark VE 80. Buildings include Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf's 1 Canada Square, the Shard, Lowther Castle, Rochester Cathedral, Manchester Printworks, Cardiff Castle, Senedd, Perth Bridge, City Chambers and Belfast City Hall.
On Thursday, a service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence, which is expected to be replicated across the nation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
This 80th anniversary is a moment of national unity. A time to celebrate that hard won peace, honour the memory of those who lost their lives, and remember the sacrifices made by so many to secure our freedom. Their legacy lives on today in how we stand together in defence of the values they fought for and which bind us together as a nation. This week, we come together to salute their service.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
80 years ago millions of people celebrated the end of the Second World War in Europe. This week, we will recreate this moment across towns and cities, in our homes, in pubs and on our streets.
We must do all we can to ensure that the stories and memories of this period in our history are not forgotten. We must not forget the hardships, the heroics and the millions who lost their lives.
We are here because of the sacrifices they made and the horrors they endured. This week, I urge the nation to come together and send a powerful message: we will remember them.
