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On the 80th anniversary of Victory over Japan Day, the King delivered a deeply personal six-minute audio message to the nation, Commonwealth and realms, honoring the sacrifices of those who fought in the Pacific and Far East during World War II’s final chapter.
The King and Queen Camilla attended a national service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, joined by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and 33 veterans aged 96 to 105, per MailOnline.
The commemoration included a two-minute silence at midday and a flypast by the Red Arrows alongside historic Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft.
Tonight, hundreds of landmarks across the UK and internationally – from Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London, Cardiff Castle to the White Cliffs of Dover – will be illuminated in tribute to VJ Day veterans.
The monarch’s address, broadcast at 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning from the Morning Room at Clarence House, began by echoing his grandfather King George VI’s historic declaration eight decades ago, the Liverpool Echo reports.
“‘The war is over,’ declared my Grandfather, King George VI, in his address to the nation and Commonwealth on VJ Day 80 years ago today – four short words after six long years of bloodshed, fear and suffering.”
King Charles paid particular tribute to Lord Mountbatten, his great-uncle, who commanded over one million Allied forces in Southeast Asia.
“The war in South East Asia had reached its climax under the leadership of my great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, from whom I learned so much about the particular horrors and heroism witnessed in those farthest fields of combat,” the King said.
The monarch acknowledged the psychological toll on veterans, noting that ‘Twenty-Nine Victoria Crosses bear eloquent testimony to their valour, but I know full well of the toll it took on so many – measured not only in gravestones, but in the mental and physical scars of those who survived.’
He specifically addressed what became known as the ‘Forgotten Army’ – troops who continued fighting in the Far East after Victory in Europe was declared in May 1945.
“Despite the unyielding support of their devoted battlefield commander, General William Slim, the forces on the ground sometimes considered themselves ‘the Forgotten Army,’” King Charles said, before reassuring veterans: “They and their fallen comrades shall never be forgotten.”
The King’s message extended beyond military personnel to acknowledge the broader human cost of the conflict.
He spoke movingly of ‘the prisoners of war who endured years of brutal captivity: the starvation, disease, and cruelty that tested the very limits of human endurance.’
In what is believed to be the most direct reference by a British monarch to the atomic bombings, King Charles acknowledged the Japanese civilian casualties.
He said: “On this landmark anniversary, we should also pause to acknowledge that in the war’s final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – a price we pray no nation need ever pay again.”
Despite the remembrance of suffering, the King emphasized the positive legacy of international cooperation that emerged from the conflict.
“Countries and communities that had never before fought together learned to coordinate their efforts across vast distances, faiths, and cultural divides,” he said.
He highlighted this theme of unity with one of the address’s most memorable phrases: “Together they proved that, 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.”
Concluding his deeply personal tribute to the ‘sadly dwindling band of veterans,’ King Charles delivered a stark warning about the contemporary relevance of wartime lessons.
He reminded the nation that the experiences of prisoners of war and civilian populations during World War II demonstrate that ‘war’s true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life – a tragedy all too vividly demonstrated by conflicts around the world today.’
The King’s message concluded that the sacrifices of VJ Day heroes ‘gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected’ – a lesson he described as remaining ‘vital for our times.’
