The King will celebrate “our greatest generation” on the 80th anniversary of VE Day, in an historic speech at the exact date and time his grandfather, King George VI, announced the end of World War II.
At 9pm on May 8, Charles will deliver a live address to the nation at a concert from Horse Guards Parade in London, to conclude the national VE Day commemorations. The concert, broadcast live next Thursday on BBC One at 8pm, will include performances, readings and poignant moments that will tell the story of VE Day and the nation’s reaction to the end of the Second World War 80 years ago. More than 12,500 people are expected to be in attendance, including a number of Second World War veterans.
Royal sources say the King has personally penned the address that will pay tribute to the sacrifice of those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.
An insider with knowledge of the speech said: “It will be a fitting tribute to our greatest generation.” The concert, presented by Zoe Ball, will see performances from British artists including Samantha Barks, Fleur East, Calum Scott and Tom Walker, singing songs from the era with re-enactments of the celebrations 80 years ago.
Six professionals from Strictly Come Dancing including dancer and cancer campaigner Amy Dowden, to “bring the stage to life with breathtaking choreography.” Dames Joan Collins, Mary Berry and Sheila Hancock will lend their voices to the commemoration, while actor Brian Cox will deliver a powerful reenactment of Winston Churchill’s iconic wartime speech, which preceded King George’s address.
On May 8, 1945, the then King broadcast from a bomb scarred Buckingham Palace, in which he thanked the nation for their bravery and dedication to the war effort. With barely a hint of his stammer that he had worked so diligently to overcome throughout his life, he expressed relief that the fighting was over and thanked those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
In tribute to “those who will not come back”, he said: “Their constancy and courage in battle, their sacrifice and endurance in the face of a merciless enemy: let us remember the men in all the Services and the women in all the Services who have laid down their lives. We have come to the end of our tribulation, and they are not with us at the moment of our rejoicing. Then let us salute in proud gratitude the great host of the living who have brought us to victory.”
In the address to millions around the UK and the Commonwealth, George steadied himself to rejoice in the end of the war but warn of yet more tough times ahead as the world fought to restore peace. During the Second World War, Buckingham Palace and its grounds were attacked a number of times, with bombs directly hitting the building on nine of these occasions.
After surviving an attack on September 13, 1940, when a single German raider dropped five bombs, two of which exploded in the inner quadrangle, while the monarch and his wife were in residence, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother said: “I am glad we have been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.”
In his VE Day address, George noted Churchill’s earlier speech from Downing Street warning that war still raged in Japan. He went on to “thank with a full heart those who bore arms so valiantly on land and sea, or in the air; and all civilians who, shouldering their many burdens, have carried them unflinchingly without complaint”.
He added: “With those memories in our minds, let us think what it was that has upheld us through nearly six years of suffering and peril.
“The knowledge that everything was at stake: our freedom, our independence, our very existence as a people; but the knowledge also that in defending ourselves we were defending the liberties of the whole world; that our cause was the cause not of this nation only, not of this empire and commonwealth only, but of every land where freedom is cherished and law and liberty go hand in hand.
“There is great comfort in the thought that the years of darkness and danger in which the children of our country have grown up are over and, please god, forever.”
On Thursday, Charles, 76, will follow in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who on May 8, 2020 delivered a pre-recorded address also at 9 pm. Her Majesty acknowledged the sacrifices of those who fought in the war and the nation’s resilience, praising the love and care displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Buckingham Palace did not comment.
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