The photograph of the British royal family overlooking the Buckingham Palace balcony next to Winston Churchill, on May 8, 1945, to celebrate the end of the Second World War in Europe, has become one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. Today, eighty years after that historical moment, King Charles III has delivered a new chapter: Together with Queen Camilla, he appeared on the same balcony to commemorate the Victory in Europe Day, in front of a crowd gathered to pay homage to the past and look to the future.
In 1945 it was King Giorgio VI to lead the country in the dark days of the conflictsupporting the population during the Nazi bombings on London. At his side, the then Princess Elisabetta – future queen – still in uniform as the auxiliary of the army, testified the direct commitment of the monarchy in the war effort. That evening, at 9 pm, King Giorgio spoke to the nation on the radio with words that remain carved in the memory: “Germany, the enemy who pushed all of Europe to war, was finally defeated”honoring the fallen and victory.
Today, the 80th anniversary of the VE Day was celebrated with a solemn ceremony in London. The heart of commemorations was once again Buckingham Palace, where King Carlo and Queen Camilla were reached by Prince William, by Kate Middleton and their three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – Together with other senior members of the Royal Family. An aerial parade of the Royal Air Force furrowed the skies above the mall, giving the public a show of tricolor, red and blue tricolor trails.
Today’s event did not only pay homage to the end of the Second World War in Europe, but also evoked the coronation of Charles III, which took place almost exactly a year ago, on May 6, 2023. Even then, the sovereign had greeted the crowd by Buckingham Palace, wearing the Imperial State Crown.
The celebrations of the VE Day began with a large military parade: 1,300 soldiers marched from the Parliament squarepassing through Cenotafio, Downing Street, Admiralty Arch and up for the Mall to the Royal Palace. To inaugurate the day, the historical words of Sir Winston Churchill, pronounced in 1945, were now proposed by the actor Timothy Spallin an exciting tribute to the resistance and sacrifice of the British people.
William and Kate, accompanied by their children – Prince George (11 years old), Princess Charlotte (10) and Prince Louis (7) – followed the solemn military parade by the Queen Victoria Memorial, in front of Buckingham Palace, together with the Duke and the Duchess of Edinburgh, the Royal Princess Anna, to Sir Tim Laurence and the Duke of Kent.
But the real protagonists of the day were the three young principles, who interacted affectionately with the veterans sitting next to them, greeting them with respect while the military procession passed. At a particularly fun moment, Prince William was taken up while explaining to his children the functioning of the different drummers, while Little Louis enjoyed brushing trees pollen from the father’s jacketgiving a spontaneous and familiar scene in the midst of the solemnity of the event.
Princess Charlotte appeared the very image of the motherthe princess of Wales, while the two exchanged a complicit and laugh during the celebrations. Like Catherine, who for the occasion has again worn a coat of Emilia Wickstead, Charlotte also chose to re -propose an already seen outfit: the same blue and green coat he had worn during the Christmas Mass in Sandingham. For the hairstyle, he opted for ordered braids. Charlotte gently followed the maternal example, leafing through some photos with his brother George, while Louis remained absorbed to observe the military parade.
Kate was radiant in a complete “pigeon blood” colorwearing his beloved folds dress by Emilia Wickstead again, combined with an elegant tambourine hat with a bow signed Sean Barrett, Décolleté Beige Gianvito Rossi 105 and refined earrings. On the chest, a gold -yolk papl of the Royal Air Force: a personal and hearing tribute to the paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton, who served as a hunting driver during the Second World War.
Another significant moment was the extraordinary installation of 30,000 red poppies at the London Towersymbol of the blood shed during the conflict. The work, created by the artist Paul Cummins and lent by the Imperial War Museum, paid tribute to the few veterans still alive, present today at the Queen Victoria Memorial. Some of them were also invited to take tea with the royal inside the building.
Next to the monarchy, he participated in the ceremony Even British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmerunderlining the continuity of the commitment to freedom and peace, principles that have inspired the long kingdom of Elizabeth II and which today guide Carlo III, protagonist in the last months of significant encounters, such as the one with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Sandingham and with the new Canadian premier Mark Carley.
Just in Canada, Carlo and Camilla will fly for a state visit on 26 and 27 May, confirming the deep ties between the British monarchy and the country of the Commonwealth. A journey that assumes symbolic and political value, in the context of international tensions and the need to strengthen historical alliances.
However, the celebrations of VE Day were not enough to completely obscure family controversies. The recent statements of the Prince Harryfollowing the defeat in the legal case to tidy up the escort in the United Kingdom, they rekindled the spotlight on the internal fractures to the royal house. In an interview with the BBC, The Duke of Sussex said he was “devastated” for the sentence, but also expressed the desire for reconciliation with the family: “There is no reason to continue fighting. Life is too precious ».
Harry said he felt isolated from his father, King Carlo, with whom he would no longer speak for the issue of security. He also admitted: “I’ve never asked him to intervene”But he added that the decision of the Court affects his life every day and limits his possibilities to return to the hometown, if not at the official invitation of the royal family. «There are people who see this sentence as a victory. But for me it is a personal and painful defeat “concluded the prince, letting the wounds glimpse still open.
Meanwhile, the monarchy looks forward, renewing its symbolic and institutional role in the great ceremonies of collective memory. And the V-Day, eighty years later, returns to unite history, present and future under the sign of continuity, with the British crown once again in the center of the story.
