He spoke directly to the so-called “Forgotten Army,” soldiers who continued fighting in Burma and beyond after victory was declared in Europe. “They and their fallen comrades,” the King vowed, “shall never be forgotten.”

Remembering all who suffered

The monarch widened his tribute to include prisoners of war who endured starvation, disease and cruelty in Japanese camps. In a rare acknowledgment, he also mentioned the immense price paid by civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying it was a price “we pray no nation need ever pay again.”

Despite the grief recalled, Charles stressed that the war left behind a legacy of unity, as countries and communities learned to work together across cultural and religious divides. He underlined this with one of the address’s most striking lines: “The greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear, but the arms you link.”

Concluding his message, the King said the dwindling number of veterans gave the day even more urgency. Their sacrifices, he reminded the nation, “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected” — a lesson he warned remains “vital for our times.”