King Charles and Queen Camilla led the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey for a Service of Thanksgiving to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The King and Queen were joined by The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent for the service which came exactly eighty years after Victory in Europe was declared.
King Charles and the Prince of Wales both laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior following two minutes of silence that were observed nationwide.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also attended the service, as did former Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak, Sir John Major, David Cameron, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. Sir Keir Starmer gave a reading during the service.
After the ceremony, The Queen laid a wreath at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial, outside the Abbey’s West Door. The Princess of Wales then left flowers on the memorial followed by the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester.
The women in the Royal Family chose to elegantly coordinate for the event. The Princess of Wales rewore a white Alessandra Rich dress with black polka dots, while Queen Camilla wore a white coat dress from favourite designer Anna Valentine. The Duchess of Gloucester also wore a white coat and dress for the day, but with a patriotic pop of colour- she carried a hand-sewn clutch bag featuring the Union Flag with a heart at the centre.
The Royal Family has put veterans at the heart of its commemorations of VE Day through the week, hosting a tea party for them at Buckingham Palace and sitting with them for a spectacular military parade that marked the start of a week of events for the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.
