UK marks VE Day 80th anniversary with large crowds and military pomp

<p>Royal family and war veterans watch 1,300-strong military procession in London while street parties held around UK</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/may/05/ve-day-80th-anniversary-ceremony-flypast-procession-king-charles-live-latest-news">VE Day 80th anniversary ceremony – live updates</a></li></ul><p>As Big Ben chimed at noon and with the Cenotaph, the symbol of sacrifice, draped in the union flag for the first time since its unveiling in 1920, the UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with military pomp before large crowds who had gathered in central London.</p><p>Buckingham Palace may have served as the centrepiece of Monday’s spectacle before Thursday’s anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. At the event’s heart, however, were the VVIP second world war veterans, those remaining few who bore actual witness then and who today serve to remind.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/05/uk-ve-day-80th-anniversary-crowds-military-pomp-war-veterans">Continue reading...</a>