ARTICLE AD BOX
The King has hailed “unity between nations, races, religions and ideologies” in standing up to tyranny, as he paid homage to wartime allies in a heartfelt speech on the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
By joining forces, they resisted “an existential threat”, he said, and appealed to people to ensure the stories of the Second World War lived on.
The King spoke after a special VE Day concert in London that included performances by The Darkness, Toploader and classical singer Sir Willard White.
Earlier, the King and Queen, together with the Prince and Princess of Wales, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and veterans, attended a Westminster Abbey service.
In his speech, the King said: “The Allied victory being celebrated then, as now, was a result of unity between nations, races, religions and ideologies, fighting back against an existential threat to humanity.
“Their collective endeavour remains a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when countries stand together in the face of tyranny.”
He said: “In remembering the past, we must also look to the future. As the number of those who lived through the Second World War so sadly dwindles, the more it becomes our duty to carry their stories forward, to ensure their experiences are never to be forgotten.
“We must listen, learn and share, just as communities across the nation have been doing this week at local street parties, religious services and countless small acts of remembrance and celebration.”
Thousands of people dressed in red, white and blue gathered at Horse Guard's Parade, central London, for the concert.
On a day when attacks were continuing in Ukraine, India and Pakistan and the Gaza Strip, he reminding the crowds of the words of former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, who said “meeting jaw to jaw is better than war”.
The King said: “We should also rededicate ourselves not only to the cause of freedom but to renewing global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy, and to the prevention of conflict.”
Paying tribute to all those who fought the Nazis, he said the country united “to celebrate and remember with an unwavering and heartfelt gratitude, the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation who made that hard-fought victory possible”.
He recalled how his mother, the late Queen, said she did the conga, sang until 2am and got to bed at 3am.
“I do hope your celebrations tonight are almost as joyful, although I rather doubt I shall have the energy to sing until 2am, let alone lead you all in a giant conga from here back to Buckingham Palace!” he said.
English (US) ·