The Princess of Wales looked angelic as she honoured the memory of those who fought in World War II yesterday. The royal family came together for a thanksgiving service to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey. The VE Day, or Victory in Europe Day events began on May 5, with a special military procession at Buckingham Palace, and ended yesterday.
For the procession, Kate looked incredible in a magenta coat dress and matching fascinator, which she wore with nude suede heels. She was then joined by husband Prince William, who wore his military uniform, and their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, who coordinated in navy outfits.
For the thanksgiving service yesterday, Kate chose a less vibrant, but equally refreshing look. It was a breezy white dress with black polka dots all over. The midi dress had a slouchy high neck, a cinched waist, and airy long sleeves. (It closely resembled a polka-dot dress she wore to the Royal Ascot in 2022, though that one had brown dots.)
Kate wore the dress with a black fascinator embellished with black roses and a small netted veil, plus tan staples: pointy heels and a small bag. She accessorised with teardrop pearl-and-diamond earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana. Her hair was styled in a beautiful, twisted bun, and she finished her look with a smoky eye and a glassy pink lip. William looked sleek in a blue suit with his military honours pinned to it. The rest of his ensemble consisted of a white dress shirt, striped blue-and-red tie, and black shoes.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis captured the spotlight when they participated in the 80th-anniversary VE Day commemoration alongside their parents. However, the young royals were noticeably absent from the national thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey, attended by their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the King and Queen. The reason for their absence stems from their prominent role in Monday's VE Day events, where they sat with veterans as servicemen and women, including NATO allies, marched past in tribute to those who defeated Hitler's Nazi regime, bringing peace to Europe.
The siblings later appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the impressive RAF flypast, with Louis entertaining the crowds by making faces as jets flew overhead and playfully trying to get his father's attention during the parade. In a significant royal duty, Prince George joined his parents and the King and Queen at a veterans' tea party inside the palace, where Prince William told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield that George was 'interested' in learning about veterans. However, they are not attending the service at Westminster Abbey today as it is a regular school day. The three children are instead in class at their school, Lambrook, near their Adelaide Cottage home in Windsor.
Today's service marks exactly 80 years since the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Church bells rang out across the country and people gathered to celebrate the end of hostilities. Crowds famously gathered outside Buckingham Palace calling for King George VI. After nearly six years of fighting against Hitler's Nazi regime, peace was declared, with only the conflict against Japan yet to be concluded.
During the service, 10-year-old Alexander Churchill, the great-great-grandson of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill, lit a candle of peace. Young members of the congregation will distribute white roses to Second World War veterans. Following a national two-minute silence, Charles and William will lay wreaths of seasonal flowers, which would have been in bloom in May 1945, at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. The King will lay his wreath on behalf of the nation and the Commonwealth, while William will do so for the veterans and the wartime generation. They will be joined by Ken Hay, 99, who served in the 4th Dorset infantry regiment.
At the conclusion of the service, the tune of We'll Meet Again, made famous by forces sweetheart the late Dame Vera Lynn, will be played. As the proceedings conclude, Kate will join Camilla and other royals outside the abbey to lay flowers at the Innocent Victims' Memorial in tribute to all victims of war and oppression.
The 80th anniversary of VE Day will be commemorated with four days of events, culminating on Thursday evening with a concert at London's Horse Guards Parade. The King and Queen will be in attendance, with performances by The Darkness, Toploader, and classical singer Sir Willard White. In celebration of the anniversary, pubs and bars have been given the green light to extend their opening hours. Venues in England and Wales that usually close at 11pm can serve for an additional two hours. At 6.30pm, churches and cathedrals nationwide will ring their bells in a collective act of thanksgiving, echoing the sounds that swept across the country in 1945, according to the Church of England.
The Princess of Wales is a vision in white as she rewears a stunning £400 Self Portrait gown for the emotional VE Day concert. Kate looked typically stylish in her pure white Self Portrait blazer dress. The mother-of-three stepped out in a glamorous pure white Self Portrait blazer dress, turning heads as she joined her husband, Prince William, in honouring those who took part in the war effort at Horse Guards Parade in London. The elegant £400 frock - which channels old Hollywood glamour - is made from bouclé, chiffon, and fine lace and looks like two separate garments upon first glance.
Kate decided to accessorise her look with pearl earrings and a necklace from Susan Caplan, a talented jewellery who was also behind the royal's accessories when she attended the Holocaust Memorial Service in January. In a post, Susan on Instagram said: 'We are honoured that the Princess of Wales has chosen to wear our earrings & necklace for the VE Day concert in Horse Guards Parade, marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.' The Princess also pulled her wavy chocolate brown tresses back and fastened them in place with a £20 black bow hairclip from one of her favourite high street stores, Jigsaw.
Kate paired her sophisticated ensemble with pointed nude heels, a stacked pearl necklace to match her earrings, and a Chanel black crossbody bag with gold metal detailing. She donned glamorous makeup for the occasion, opting for grey smoky eyeshadow and a natural base with a hint of contour. Kate was snapped beaming alongside her husband as they stepped out for the event which will see performances echoing the historic celebrations 80 years ago. It included music from the era, as well as stories of veterans from the Second World War, with 12,000 people in the audience.
Elsewhere, Their Majesties, Charles and Camilla, smiled as they made an appearance for an evening of music. The artists featured included the cast of World War II musical Operation Mincemeat, West End legend Samantha Barks, who will offer her powerful rendition of We'll Meet Again, Fleur East, Calum Scott, John Newman, The Darkness, Toploader, and Tom Walker.
It comes as earlier today, Kate made a heartfelt tribute to her mother-in-law as she joined members of the Royal Family for a service marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day at Westminster Abbey. She took to today's Service of Thanksgiving in London to remember the end of the Second World War in Europe and to commemorate those who fought to bring peace to Europe and the rest of the world. The mother-of-three was accompanied by her husband Prince William and opted for a striking ensemble today, complete with a black and white polka dot Alessandra Rich dress and a black fascinator by Juliette Botterill.
Kate added a sentimental touch to her outfit by adding a pair of earrings that previously belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. The earrings, gifted to Diana before her wedding to the then-Prince Charles in 1981, became Diana's firm favourites and she sported them on royal tours of Australia, Canada, and Italy. Diana wore them on several occasions throughout her marriage, including during her tour of the US in 1985, where she paired them with a lacy white gown and the Lover's Knot tiara for a gala dinner at the British Embassy.
Today's event follows Monday's fly past, which the Prince and Princess of Wales watched with their children. The late Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess Elizabeth, wore the military uniform for her palace balcony appearance on VE Day 1945 as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Services. Nato allies joined 1,300 members of the armed forces for the procession in the city, and the words of Sir Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech were spoken by actor Timothy Spall to kick off events for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
Crowds started to gather on The Mall on Monday morning, with some arriving the day before to secure a good viewing spot. Caroline Tomlinson, 59, travelled from Doncaster to witness the parade and camped overnight. Dressed in Union flags, she said: 'I've been watching lots of footage from 1945 when everybody was gathering outside the palace, so just great to be a part of it here we are again 80 years later to do the very same.'
Michael Burn, 67, arrived at The Mall outside Buckingham Palace on Monday morning, dressed head to toe in a Union flag suit. Lizzie McCrae MacIntyre, a retired Women's Royal Air Force veteran, arrived at the Admiralty Arch at 4am to see the parade. Ms MacIntyre, who travelled from Surrey, said: 'It's so important to remember those that didn't make it home. My dad was military, my brother was Air Force.'
