British royal family watches military parade marking start of VE Day events in London
London CNN Britain is marking the th anniversary of Triumph in Europe VE Day this week with four days of commemorations honoring the end of World War II on the continent as well as those who served and perished during the conflict The official surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces took place on May ending a brutal war that claimed tens of millions of lived and reshaped global history London s commemorations began Monday when Big Ben the clock and bell in Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament struck at midday and extracts from wartime leader Winston Churchill s VE Day speech echoed across the capital A military parade featuring members of the United Kingdom s armed forces marched from parliament to Buckingham Palace It was watched by King Charles Queen Camilla the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children Prince George Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis The King and Queen led the royal family onto the Buckingham Palace balcony to cheers from the crowd below Moments later the Royal Air Force s Red Arrows display group streaked across the sky in a flypast that left trails of red white and blue smoke Members of the British royal family attending Monday s procession wore uniforms chosen to reflect both personal military ties and historical resonance King Charles wore a Naval No uniform with no medals or decorations mirroring the attire of his grandfather King George VI who stood on the Buckingham Palace balcony on VE Day in Queen Camilla appeared beside him in a sapphire blue wool crepe dress and coat adorned with a th Royal Lancers Brooch honoring her late father s regiment Events will continue across the UK this week On Tuesday ceramic poppies will be installed at the Tower of London to remember those killed in conflict Elsewhere historic landmarks across the UK will be illuminated in the national colors of red white and blue VE Day itself Thursday will include a national two-minute silence at midday a amenity at Westminster Abbey attended by the King and Queen and a large-scale concert at Horse Guards Palace Later beacons will be lit across the UK Eighty years ago the nation erupted in satisfaction as news of the surrender broke In London the late Queen Elizabeth then a -year-old princess and her younger sister Margaret famously slipped out of Buckingham Palace to join the revelers But this year the commemorative mood comes amid renewed tensions within the royal family Just days ago Prince Harry revealed that his father King Charles no longer speaks to him and that he cannot imagine bringing his family back to the UK after losing a court matter over his measure arrangements on Friday
