Members of the RAuxAF Foundation were honoured to have been invited to attend the Royal British Legion ‘VE Day 80 Celebration to Remember’ evening concert at Horse Guards Parade in London on Thursday 8 May 2025.
Marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe ending World War II on 8 May 1945, over 12,000 watched live (more via the BBC) as veterans and wartime heroes reflected movingly on their experiences of VE Day, being evacuees and other Second World War impacts, interspersed with outstanding musical performances of dance and song. There was even time to bring back memories of the Home Guard with a re-enactment of personalities from Dad’s Army.
The concert was attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and other honoured guests. A particularly poignant moment came when the King addressed the crowd in similar fashion to his grandfather, King George VI – who had addressed the nation 80 years earlier. King Charles made special note of uniting and remembering “with an unwavering and heartfelt gratitude, the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation who made the hard-fought victory possible.” He went on “While our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone.”
JD