British Royals Attend VE Day Anniversary Thanksgiving Service

  May 10, 2015 at 11:26 pm by

Queen Elizabeth II led the final commemorations for the 70th anniversary of VE Day today during a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey.

Joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex and the Duke of Kent, Queen Elizabeth laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior just inside the main entrance of the Abbey. Newly re-elected Prime Minister David Cameron was also in attendance.

Over 1,000 war veterans attended the service led by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall. Readings were read by Royal Navy veteran John Wilson, who took part in the Normandy landings in 1944, and Zoe Churchill, the great-great-granddaughter of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Afterwards, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended the veterans march at Horse Guards Parade, where the 1,000 war veterans marched past the couple after walking from the Abbey up through Whitehall. A number stopped to shake hands with both Prince Charles and Camilla, causing the event to run longer than planned (though no one was bothered). The couple later attended a reception organised for veterans by the Royal British Legion.

A fly-past by the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows, who were joined by Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane aircrafts from World War Two, concluded the day’s events.

The fly-past across London to mark the 70th anniversary of VE Day. Horse Guard’s Parade is seen on the bottom right.

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