King Charles to deliver powerful message to 'forgotten' heroes of WWII

King Charles will deliver a moving audio address within hours to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, saluting the “forgotten” heroes who kept fighting long after Europe celebrated the end of World War II. 

In the six-minute broadcast, the King, 76, will say those who served in the Far East and Pacific “gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected,” praising unity “across vast distances, faiths and cultural divides.” 

He will close with a striking line for today’s world: “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.”

Later on Friday, Their Majesties will attend a Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, personally thanking 33 VJ Day veterans aged 96 to 105. 

Among them: Donald “Bill” Redston, 100, who fought on D-Day before redeploying to Burma, and Albert Lamond, 99, a signalman who helped evacuate emaciated POWs.

Echoing King George VI’s historic “the war is over” broadcast 80 years ago, Charles will also acknowledge the suffering of prisoners and civilians, and is expected to reference his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten, the Supreme Allied Commander in Southeast Asia.

VJ Day, August 15, 1945, ended a brutal campaign often overshadowed by VE Day. Today’s tribute aims to ensure the “Forgotten Army” is forgotten no more.

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