King Charles speaks of freedom and peace in VE Day speech

King Charles spoke of freedom and the need for everlasting peace in his VE Day speech at Horse Guards Parade in London.

The King addressed the British people at the VE 80 Concert at 9 pm, echoing the time his grandfather, King George VI, addressed the public 80 years ago at the end of World War II.

He began his speech quoting his grandfather 80 years prior: “It is now eighty years since my grandfather, King George VI, announced to the nation and the Commonwealth that ‘the dreadful shadow of war has passed from our hearths and our homes’. The liberation of Europe was secured.”

The King spoke of the end of the war and thanked those who gave their all for freedom, calling on everyone to never forget their sacrifices. He remarked on how the world united to fight against tyranny and asked that the world remember those who are still fighting for freedom in their own countries.

“In remembering the past, we must also look to the future. As the number of those who lived through the Second World War so sadly dwindles, the more it becomes our duty to carry their stories forward, to ensure their experiences are never to be forgotten. We must listen, learn and share, just as communities across the nation have been doing this week at local street parties, religious services and countless small acts of remembrance and celebration,” he added.

His Majesty also called for the 80th anniversary of VE Day to be a re-dedication to freedom: “We should also rededicate ourselves not only to the cause of freedom but to renewing global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy, and to the prevention of conflict.”

King Charles closed his remarks by asking the British to protect and continue the legacy of those before them.

“Just as those exceptional men and women fulfilled their duty to each other, to humankind, and to God, bound by an unshakeable commitment to nation and service, in turn it falls to us to protect and continue their precious legacy – so that one day hence generations yet unborn may say of us: ‘they too bequeathed a better world’,” he said.