Royal’s Mark 75th Anniversary of VE Day
On the 8th May 2020 at 11 am, The Prince of Wales accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall will lead the nation in two minutes’ silence to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Their Royal Highnesses will lead the silence from Scotland, which will be broadcast live by the BBC.
Due to the Coronavirus, the BBC will be broadcasting a service from Westminster, starting at 10:50 am BST, where socially-distanced wreath-laying will take place.
A two-minute silence will follow at 11 am, with a re-broadcast of Winston Churchill’s speech at 14:45 pm, where people will be invited to stand up and raise a glass in a national toast, saying: “To those who gave so much, we thank you”.
And finally, at 21:00 pm, a pre-recorded message from Her Majesty The Queen will be broadcast.
And if you’re wondering what VE Day is, here are some interesting facts…
- Victory in Europe or VE Day on May 8th, 1945 saw Britain and its Allies formally accept Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.
At 15:00, following Germany’s surrender the day before, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced on the radio that the war in Europe had come to an end.
- In 1945, at the age of 18, The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, became a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and is the only surviving monarch in the world to have served in the Second World War.
- Following the German surrender, spontaneous celebrations broke out across the length and breadth of the country, and the then Princess, and her sister Princess Margaret, ventured out of Buckingham Palace with a group of friends, in secret, to experience the excitement in London.
The Queen described it as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”.
To keep up with the day’s activities and to let us know how you will be celebrating, please visit us on Facebook or Twitter.
We hope you’ll join us in saying: “To those who gave so much, we thank you”.
