King Charles leads ​simple remembrance of those who sacrificed all

Charles left a floral tribute at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, close to Westminster Abbey’s west door, on behalf of the nation and Commonwealth, during a poignant moment.

A handwritten message from the King, recognising those who fought and died in the Second World War, read: ‘We will never forget.’

A national two-minutes silence was observed before the simple ceremony, and among the congregation were veterans of the conflict who helped to defeat fascism on the continent during a war that lasted almost six years.

The abbey fell silent and the sound of London traffic could be heard as all stood motionless in quiet contemplation.

The Prince of Wales left a wreath a few moments after his father, in a tribute to Second World War veterans and the generation who lived through the conflict.

Both wreaths featured flowers which would have been in bloom in May 1945.

William and his wife left a handwritten note with their wreath which read: ‘For those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Second World War. We will remember them.’

Standing beside them was Ken Hay, 99, who served in the 4th Dorset infantry regiment.

Among the guests were the Queen, the Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Kent and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

On May 8 1945 the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day, as church bells rang out across the country and people gathered to revel in the end of hostilities, and crowds famously gathered outside Buckingham Palace and called for King George VI.

After almost six years of fighting against Hitler’s Nazi regime, peace was declared, with only the conflict against Japan to be concluded.

The congregation heard wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill’s radio broadcast announcing the end of hostilities, which concluded with the words ‘long live the cause of freedom’.

Second World War artefacts including a child’s gas mask, sailor’s cap and an air raid warden’s helmet, representing the armed forces and the Home Front, were processed through the abbey.

And the familiar wartime song ‘The White Cliffs Of Dover’ was sung by Zizi Strallen.

The Archbishop of York warned the “good” resulting from the Second World War is “under threat”.

Stephen Cottrell paid tribute to “those whose sacrifice made our victory possible” against Hitler’s Nazi regime, and said he is praying again for “peace in Europe” amid Russia’s three-year invasion of Ukraine.

In his address, the archbishop said: “Today, on this 80th anniversary, we give hearty and mighty thanks for those whose sacrifice made our victory possible. We pray again for peace in Europe.

“We salute those who were so committed to the ideas and ideals they fought to uphold, that in the post-war era rebuilt the world to reflect those beliefs.

“Those first outpourings of joy on the first VE Day led to something good, because in our opposition of what was worst in us, we discovered what was best.

“All this good is under threat again in our world today.”

Lord Lyon King of Arms Joe Morrow, 70, a Royal Navy Reserves chaplain and honorary colonel, described the service as “absolutely magnificent”.

“What I loved about it was a true sense of unity that came across,” he said.

“Having the King there, the King’s Scouts, it was just so special.”

Former air marshal Stewart Atha, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, struck a more cautionary tone.

“This is not a safe world – if you want peace, you prepare for war,” he said.

“That’s the lesson from the 1930s, we failed to deter Hitler and we need to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.”

Among the congregation was a group of young people determined to challenge assumptions about their generation.

Georgina Heron-Edmends, 19, Henry Hughes, 21, and Sophia Kaur Badhan, 24, from Youth Collaborators, said they were working on a report to influence government strategy.

Ms Badhan said: “There’s been some coverage in the media suggesting we aren’t interested in VE Day – we’re here to challenge that.

“We think it’s really important and it’s a privilege to be here.”