Also present at Monday’s celebrations were King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. The event included a parade, a flypast featuring the famous Red Arrows, and a traditional appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Later in the day, veterans and members of the Second World War generation—including former British and Commonwealth Armed Forces personnel, WRENs, and Special Operations Executives—were invited to a tea party held on the palace grounds.

Commemorations will continue throughout the week, including a special service at Westminster Abbey on Thursday, followed by a star-studded concert at Horse Guards Parade.

A glimpse into Queen Elizabeth’s secret VE Day outing

When Victory in Europe was declared on 8 May 1945, a young Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret, aged 19 and 14 at the time, longed to join the public celebrations happening outside the palace.

With the permission of their father, King George VI, the two princesses ventured into the London crowds accompanied by 16 trusted members of the royal household, among them the Queen’s cousin Margaret Rhodes and Margaret’s future romantic interest, Peter Townsend.

Margaret Rhodes later recounted: “We crossed the forecourt at Buckingham Palace and got to the railings and there were these masses and masses of people. There was a general thing of, ‘We want the King and Queen,’ which we all frantically joined in with and were amazed when, five or 10 minutes later, the windows opened and they came out onto the balcony.”

She added, “It was like a wonderful escape for the girls. I don’t think they’d ever been out among millions of people. It was just freedom – to be an ordinary person.”