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British Royals

Princess Anne’s sweet gesture to the Duke of Kent as Royal Family step on to Buckingham Palace balcony for VE Day 80

The Princess Royal made a sweet gesture to her cousin, the Duke of Kent, as they both stepped on to the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a fly past for the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

King Charles and Queen Camilla led the family on to the balcony and took up the central spots while the Prince and Princess of Wales moved to one side with their children – George, Charlotte and Louis.

Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh squeezed past one of the pillars to stand on another side while Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, took up position right next to The King.

However, the Duke of Kent, following protocol, was the last to make his way on to the balcony and appeared to find it harder than expected to move to his allocated slot.

Princess Anne noticed this and called out to him, gesturing to him to stand just to her side, right in the middle of the balcony.

It was a rather appropriate place for the Duke as he was the only member of the Royal Family present at the anniversary who was alive on VE Day.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent was nine when Victory in Europe Day officially brought World War Two to an end on the continent on May 8 1945.

As the Royal Family marked the 80th anniversary, the Duke could be seen just behind King Charles III on the balcony for this historic appearance.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.