Queen reminds nation to ‘never give up, never despair’ in poignant VE Day message
'When I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire.'
Queen Elizabeth has reminded the nation to ‘never give up, never despair’ in a poignant address to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Her Majesty honoured the sacrifices made by the wartime generation in a rare speech on Friday, broadcast at the same time that her father, King George VI, announced the end of the war in Europe in a radio address on May 8, 1945.
The monarch said the brave men who fought in World War II would still ‘recognise and admire’ Britain today, as she paid tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom.
While Britons are unable to mark the ‘special anniversary’ in the way that they would wish to this year, the country’s streets are ‘filled with love and the care’ amid the coronavirus crisis, she said.
Speaking from Windsor Castle’s white drawing-room, the Queen told the nation: ‘The wartime generation knew that the best way to honour those who did not come back from the war, was to ensure that it didn’t happen again.
‘The greatest tribute to their sacrifice is that countries who were once sworn enemies are now friends, working side by side for the peace, health and prosperity of us all.
‘Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps.
‘But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other.
‘And when I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire.’
The head of the Royal Family reflected on her own experience of VE Day in her speech, having started the war as a schoolgirl and ending it as a junior commander with the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
She said: ‘At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain. But we kept faith that the cause was right – and this belief, as my father noted in his broadcast, carried us through.
‘Never give up, never despair – that was the message of VE Day.
‘I vividly remember the jubilant scenes my sister and I witnessed with our parents and Winston Churchill from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
‘The sense of joy in the crowds who gathered outside and across the country was profound, though while we celebrated the victory in Europe, we knew there would be further sacrifice.’
Black and white footage of King George VI’s address to the nation and scenes of revellers conga-ing through the streets was played as Britain’s monarch spoke tonight.
After the broadcast, the country was invited to open doors and windows and take part in sing-a-long of Forces’ Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime anthem We’ll Meet Again, during the BBC’s VE Day 75 show.
In 1945, King George VI celebrated ‘Germany, the enemy who drove all Europe into war’ finally being overcome, but expressed sorrow that the men who’d put down their lives were not there to rejoice.
He said: ‘Let us remember those who will not come back, their constancy and courage in battle, their sacrifice and endurance in the face of a merciless enemy: let us remember the men in all the services and the women in all the services who have laid down their lives.
‘We have come to the end of our tribulation, and they are not with us at the moment of our rejoicing.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.