The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall began a two minute-silence to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day from Balmoral today.
Prince Charles and Camilla lead the nation in remembering the WWII dead, by laying a wreath and some flowers at the Balmoral war memorial. The event was live streamed on the BBC.
THE PRINCE OF WALES AND DUCHESS OF CORNWALL AT BALMORAL WAR MEMORIAL
A lone piper marked the couple’s arrival at the memorial, while a gun at Edinburgh Castle marked the start and end of the silence.
Charles places a wreath of poppies emblazoned with the Prince of Wales feathers; his wife, Camilla, laid spring flowers on the memorial that were picked personally from the garden at Birkhall. She respectfully bowed her head afterwards.
The Prince of Wales wore Highland Day Dress, a Hunting Stewart kilt with a Gordon Highlanders tie and lapel badge. The Duchess of Cornwall, meanwhile was seen in her 4 Rifles dress (Camilla is Royal Colonel of the regiment), and wearing The 12th Royal Lancers regimental brooch, which was her father’s regiment.
The Queen will share a message with the nation at 9pm tonight, the same time at which George VI gave his own radio broadcast 75 years ago.
After leading the nation in a two-minute silence on #VEDay75, The Prince of Wales lays a wreath and The Duchess of Cornwall lays flowers in remembrance of those who died in the Second World War. pic.twitter.com/mZJgc2WBtW
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) May 8, 2020
Later today, a video recorded by The Prince of Wales reading an excerpt from the diary of King George VI from VE Day on 8th May 1945 will be broadcast on BBC one VE 75 Announcement of Victory.
The Duchess of Cornwall has recorded two excerpts from her father Major Bruce Shand’s memoirs Previous Engagements that recount his time serving with the 12th Royal Lancers during the Second World War. Chosen by Her Royal Highness, the excerpts document Major Shand’s time serving in North Africa which saw him lose two of his closest comrades and taken to Germany as a prisoner of war. The recordings will be posted on our social media channels and website this afternoon.
Camilla yesterday spoke to veterans on the telephone, in her role as patron of the Desert Rats Association; her father, Major Bruce Shand was a Desert Rat.
Two veterans of the 7th Armoured Division, also known as the Desert Rats who served in North Africa during the Second World War, received calls from the Duchess. Sergeant Major Len Burritt, 101, and Jimmy Sinclair, 107, are both regular correspondents of the Royal, who has been Patron of the Desert Rats Memorial Association since 2007.
Speaking about her conversation with the veterans, Her Royal Highness said: “As the proud patron of the Desert Rats Association I was lucky enough to speak this morning to two of its remarkable survivors; Len Burritt who will be 102 in August and Jimmy Sinclair who is a staggering 107. They both fought with outstanding courage in the “Desert” war, in the same battles as my father did and I salute them both. These two distinguished veterans remind us of the heroic struggles they, and their fellow Desert Rats took part in all those years ago to hasten the end of World War II.”
