National Commemoration in Staffordshire
King Charles will deliver a televised address on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day), commemorating Japan’s surrender that ended World War II. The monarch, 76, and Queen Camilla, 78, will attend a national service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The day’s events will include a two-minute silence, ending with an RAF Red Arrows flypast, followed by a reception for VJ veterans and their families hosted by the Royal British Legion.
A Message of Gratitude and Resolve
Charles’s six-minute message, pre-recorded earlier this month in the Morning Room at Clarence House, will air at 7:30 a.m. BST. In it, he will praise the courage of those who served, saying they “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected.” He will add that “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link,” vowing that those who fought and died “shall never be forgotten.”
Royal Family Roles Across the UK
Other members of the royal family will mark the occasion around the UK. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will attend a service at the Scottish National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle, while the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will be in Norwich Cathedral for a ceremony honouring Far East Prisoners of War, before heading to Suffolk for a second event dedicated to their families. It remains unclear whether the Prince and Princess of Wales will attend any commemorations. Their names were absent from official announcements, and they are currently on summer break with their three children. Kensington Palace has not commented.
