King to tell nation sacrifices of VJ Day heroes ‘shall never be forgotten’

The King will vow that the service and sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East will never be forgotten on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

In an audio message to the nation, realms and Commonwealth, Charles will reflect on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region “whose suffering reminds us that war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life”.

VJ Day on August 15 marks the anniversary of Japan’s surrender to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, effectively ending the Second World War.

The six-minute speech, recorded earlier this month in the Morning Room at Clarence House, echoes and references the historic audio broadcast made by Charles’s grandfather King George VI.

The monarch will describe how the heroes of VJ Day “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected”, with victory made possible by close collaboration between nations “across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides”.

Charles will say this demonstrated how “in times of war and in times of peace, the greatest weapons of all are not the arms you bear but the arms you link”.

The service and sacrifice of veterans and those who lost their lives fighting in the conflict “shall never be forgotten”, he will say.

The message will be released at 7.30am on Friday ahead of a service of remembrance attended by the King and Queen, Second World War veterans and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Charles was pictured looking serious with his hands clasped as he sat at his desk at his London residence Clarence House, with a microphone angled towards him, as he prepared to read his address.

Friday’s televised service, broadcast live by the BBC, will pay tribute to all those who served in the Asia-Pacific theatre, including Burma Star recipients, British Indian Army veterans, former prisoners of war, and those who fought in pivotal battles including Kohima and Imphal in India.

The event, hosted by the Royal British Legion in partnership with the Government, will see the King and his wife leave floral tributes, as will other senior figures.

A national two-minute silence will conclude with an aerial display by the Red Arrows and the service will draw to a close with a flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, before the King and Queen attend a reception with Second World War veterans.