King Charles has sent a powerful message to honour all those who served as he led commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
The King recorded a special address marking eight decades since VJ Day.
Speaking from the Morning Room at Clarence House, His Majesty said ”we honour anew all those whose service and sacrifice saw the forces of liberty prevail.”
His words came exactly 80 years to the day since his grandfather, King George VI, spoke to the nation as World War Two ended.
Charles III also remembered the huge sacrifices made in the war, saying ‘‘in recalling so much suffering, we must not lose sight of how great was the cause and how sweet
the victory. For those heroes of V.J. Day gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected.”
Hear The King’s full message for VJ Day
There were memories, too, of some of the most noted leaders of the final campaigns of the Second World War as The King said ”despite the unyielding support of their devoted battlefield commander, General William Slim, the forces on the ground sometimes considered themselves ‘the Forgotten Army’.
And he reassured them they are not forgotten, noting ”as Patron of the now Burma Star Memorial Fund, and having attended one of the great Burma Star Reunions at the
Albert Hall with Lord Mountbatten when the Hall was filled with thousands of bemedalled veterans, it has been my privilege to reassure the remaining veterans that they and their fallen comrades shall never be forgotten.”
Lord Mountbatten was given a special place in the address. The King said of his beloved uncle that ”the forces aligned under him comprised over one
million men and women, drawn from many different countries, religions and communities, but united by common purpose and indomitable spirit. Twenty-Nine Victoria Crosses bear eloquent testimony to their valour, but I know full well of the toll it took on so many – measured not only in gravestones, but in the mental and physical scars of those who survived.”
There were words, too, for those held as prisoners of war in truly appalling conditions. The King spoke of ”the starvation, disease and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance. Innocent civilian populations of occupied territories faced grievous hardships, too. Their experience reminds us that war’s true cost extends
beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life.”
And he remembered the awful end to the war as nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying ‘‘an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a price we pray no nation need ever pay again.”
King Charles’s message was broadcast on the morning of VJ Day, just after pipers had played solemn laments at The Cenotaph, at the National Memorial Arboretum and at Edinburgh Castle.
The Prince and Princess of Wales sent a message soon afterwards, saying ‘‘on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all who served. Today we especially think of those British and Commonwealth troops who fought in the Asia-Pacific.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to lead the nation’s commemorations at a special service and will observe a two minutes silence being held across the UK.
