Is King Charles going to address the nation? King to deliver broadcast for VJ Day - what is it and what time will it start on TV, channel information
King Charles is set to address the nation tomorrow morning.
There will be a broadcast on TV tomorrow morning (Friday 15 August) for VJ Day. In an audio message recorded earlier this month, the King will vow that those who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East "shall never be forgotten".
VJ Day, or Victory over Japan Day, is commemorated on 15 August each year, and marks the date in 1945 when Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, ending the war. An estimated 71,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth died fighting in Japan, including upwards of 12,000 prisoners of war held in Japanese captivity.
The King's message is expected to echo, and reflect on, the audio broadcast made by his grandfather, King George VI, 80 years ago, when he announced to the nation and Commonwealth that the war was over. He will make reference to the experience endured by Prisoners of War, and to the civilians of occupied lands in the region, whose suffering "reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life".
The King will describe how those who fought in the war "gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected", since victory was made possible by close collaboration between nations, "across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides". This demonstrated 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", he will say.
On Friday, the King and Queen, alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will attend a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to commemorate the anniversary. At Friday's service, a national two-minute silence will conclude with a flypast from the RAF Red Arrows.
It will be followed by a reception in which the King and Queen will meet veterans who served in the Far East during the Second World War, along with their families. The King’s full message will be released at 7.30am in the UK tomorrow as commemorations take place across the world. It will be broadcast on the BBC.