The royal family is preparing to attend another day of VE day celebrations to mark 80 years since the end of the war.
Queen Camilla will appear at the Tower of London on Tuesday afternoon to view a new display of ceramic poppies, placed to “reflect on the lasting legacy of conflict”.
The visit comes after Buckingham Palace’s balcony hosted commemorations - eight decades after King George VI first marked the Second World War’s end from the same spot.
Several royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, sat among veterans as the current crop of servicemen and women marched past the palace in recognition of those who served in the war.
Prince Louis, who recently turned seven, did not disappoint royal fans, pulling faces as planes thundered overhead.
He playfully teased his older brother Prince George during Monday’s VE Day celebrations, capturing the attention of onlookers and social media alike.
Prince George, 11, then joined senior royals at a tea party with 30 veterans of honour.
Meanwhile, a further hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday.
Key Points
- Prince Louis steals show at VE Day commemorations
- Latest hearing in Prince Harry legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
- Royals to continue VE day commemorations
- Hundreds of thousands watch flypast and host tea parties to mark VE Day
King and Queen unveil official coronation portraits
11:51
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Athena Stavrou
Charles and Camilla have unveiled their official state portraits during a visit to the National Gallery on Tuesday.
The King and Queen visited the gallery’s newly refurbished Sainsbury’s Wing ahead of its official opening and unveiled the portraits to mark the second anniversary of their coronation.
King and Queen visit newly refurbished National Gallery to unveil official portraits
11:31
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Athena Stavrou
Queen Camilla and King Charles visited the newly refurbished Sainsbury Wing during a visit to The National Gallery on Tuesday.
The couple will unveil their official Coronation State Portraits by Peter Kuhfeld and Paul S. Benney, now part of The Royal Collection to mark the second anniversary of their Coronation.
lThe portraits will be revealed in the Central Hall, followed by the reopening of the refurbished Sainsbury Wing.
Royal fans celebrate VE Day in handmade Union flag dresses
11:12
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Athena Stavrou
Two royal fans wore handmade dresses to celebrate VE Day at Buckingham Palace.
Grace Gothard, from Ghana, made a Union flag dress and hairbow for the occasion. She said the creation took her two weeks to make.
Describing the dress, she said: “I made this dress personally. So anytime there’s any royal occasion I make my own dresses. It took two weeks to make.
“The last one was the King’s coronation, and that dress is in a museum now.”
Ms Gothard began making the dresses in 2011, starting with the Prince and Princess of Wales’ royal wedding in 2011.
Her coronation dress is now on display at the London Museum, alongside accessories such as the shoes she also made.
King follows in grandfather’s footsteps by not wearing medals
10:56
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Athena Stavrou
Eighty years after King George VI marked Victory in Europe Day without adorning his uniform with medals, his grandson, King Charles III, followed suit.
At Monday’s VE Day parade in central London, the King opted for a similar display of understated commemoration.
Donning his naval No.1 dress uniform, he observed the military procession and flypast, commencing four days of national celebration.
What VE Day celebrations will be happening this week?
10:41
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Athena Stavrou
A number of events will be held this week to mark the 80th anniversary of Europe’s liberation from the Nazis on Thursday.
Monday saw hundreds of thousands line the streets of central London to watch a military procession and a flypast.
On Tuesday the Queen will visit a new display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London - set to resemble a wound to reflect the long-lasting sacrifices made during the war.
UK landmarks including the Palace of Westminster, the Shard and Belfast City Hall will also light up from 9pm on Tuesday.
On Thursday, a service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence of reflection and remembrance.
Horse Guards Parade will then hold a live celebratory concert to round off the commemorations, as churches and cathedrals across the country will ring their bells as a collective act of thanksgiving at 6.30pm.
In the evening, pubs and bars have been granted permission to stay open for longer to mark the anniversary.
Watch: Prince George meets veterans in surprise appearance at VE Day tea party
10:27
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Athena Stavrou
The Prince of Wales has told of Prince George’s interest in learning about the Second World War, as veterans attended a Buckingham Palace tea party.
Prince George, 11, can be seen joining William and his mother the Princess of Wales, along with the King and Queen and other members of the royal family, to meet veterans.
The Prince of Wales told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield, from Portchester that George is “interested” in learning about those who served.
Watch the video here:
Latest hearing in Duke of Sussex legal claim against Mail publisher due to begin
10:14
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Athena Stavrou
A further hearing in the Duke of Sussex’s High Court claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail is set to begin on Tuesday.
Harry and several other high-profile individuals, including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, and politician Sir Simon Hughes, are bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
They have accused the publisher of allegedly carrying out or commissioning unlawful activities such as hiring private investigators to place listening devices inside cars, “blagging” private records, burglaries to order and accessing and recording private phone conversations.
ANL firmly denies the allegations and is defending the legal action, previously describing the claims as “lurid” and “simply preposterous”.
The two-day hearing is expected to deal with several preliminary issues in the claims, with no findings yet made in respect of the allegations.
Pictured: Hundreds of thousands gather on the Mall to celebrate VE Day anniversary
09:58
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Athena Stavrou
GCHQ release cache of spy chatter discussing VE Day before end of war announced
09:41
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Athena Stavrou
A set of never-before-seen documents of discussions between spies has revealed the Government Communications Headquarters’ (GCHQ) role in the announcement of VE Day.
The documents, released 80 years after VE Day, showcase the intelligence agency’s role and the excitement felt by those in the organisation tasked with sharing the news that fighting in Europe would soon end.
The document cache includes a letter from then-Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, Dwight D Eisenhower, to the Deputy Director Naval Section via the Admiralty.
The messages relay that the German high command had signed an “unconditional surrender”.
The document, timestamped 8.30am on May 7, 1945, instructs Allied expeditionary forces to “cease all offensive operations” but states that troops should remain in their present positions.
Starmer and Macron discuss VE Day celebrations
09:25
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Athena Stavrou
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron discussed VE Day celebrations in a call on Monday ebening.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister began by reflecting on how privileged he felt to be part of the moving VE Day celebrations this week, including the commemorative events held today.”
The pair then turned to discussing the situation in Ukraine, migration and the “deep concern” for recent developments in Gaza.
Pictured: Grand military parade in London to mark VE Day
09:12
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Athena Stavrou
Queen says her father was ‘lucky’ despite being shot in the face during the war
09:03
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Athena Stavrou
The Queen said her father was “so lucky” he was not injured more severely after being shot in the face during the Second World War.
In a conversation with veteran Douglas Cracknell at Clarence House, broadcast by the BBC as part of the VE Day coverage, Camilla shared her father’s experience of the conflict.
The Queen’s father, Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during the Second World War and was awarded the Military Cross in 1940 during the retreat to Dunkirk, and again in 1942 for his efforts in North Africa.
She told Mr Cracknell: “My father, who was captured at El Alamein, he was shot at and the bullet went through one side of his face, came out the other and he was so lucky because he didn’t hit his teeth or his tongue.”
Recap: Hundreds of thousands watch flypast and host tea parties to mark VE Day
09:01
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Athena Stavrou
On Monday, hundreds of thousands watched from The Mall in London on Monday as an RAF flypast marked the 80th anniversary of Europe’s liberation from the Nazis.
Buckingham Palace’s balcony hosted the royal family’s VE Day commemorations - eight decades after King George VI first marked the Second World War’s end from the same spot.
Several royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, sat among veterans as the current crop of servicemen and women, including Nato allies, marched past the palace in recognition of those who served to defeat Hitler’s regime and bring peace to Europe.
The aerial spectacle was followed by tea parties across Britain, including in Downing Street, where Sir Keir Starmer served up tea and cakes to veterans and other guests.
Watch: Prince Louis teases Prince George by copying behaviour at VE Day parade
08:53
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Athena Stavrou
Royals to continue VE day commemorations
08:51
,
Athena Stavrou
The royal family is preparing to attend another day of VE day celebrations to mark 80 years since the end of the war.
Queen Camilla will appear at the Tower of London on Tuesday afternoon to view a new display of ceramic poppies, placed to “reflect on the lasting legacy of conflict”.
The installation comes 11 years after the original exhibit of 888,246 ceramic poppies in 2014.
Nearly 30,000 poppies from the first installation have now returned to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII.
Prince Louis steals show at VE Day commemorations
08:27
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Athena Stavrou
Prince Louis, the seven-year-old son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, playfully teased his older brother Prince George during Monday’s VE Day celebrations, capturing the attention of onlookers and social media alike.
As the two young princes watched the military procession from the Queen Victoria Memorial in London, Louis appeared to mimic George's mannerisms.
Cameras caught the moment Louis, seemingly amused by his brother's actions, copied the way 11-year-old George flicked his hair, then exaggeratedly smoothed down his own.
The lighthearted interaction between the two siblings quickly spread across social media, delighting royal watchers.
