King Charles to Deliver Message for 80th Anniversary of VJ Day

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King Charles will deliver a special pre-recorded audio address to the Commonwealth next Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory in Japan Day), commemorating the end of the Second World War in the Pacific. The date, also known in Australia as VP Day (Victory in the Pacific Day), honours Japan’s surrender on 15 August 1945 and the restoration of peace after years of global conflict.

The speech is expected to reference the historic broadcast made by his grandfather, King George VI, on the same date in 1945. In that wartime address, King George VI declared, “Japan has surrendered, so let us join in thanking Almighty God that war has ended throughout the world, and that in every country men may now turn their industry, skill, and science to repairing its frightful devastation and to building prosperity and happiness.” He also urged the nation to remember the fallen and those who had suffered great personal loss.

Buckingham Palace has confirmed a series of royal engagements to accompany the anniversary. On Friday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend a Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, followed by a reception where they will meet surviving Second World War veterans.

The Duchess of Edinburgh is set to meet veteran Jim Wren, who was serving on HMS Repulse when he was captured and imprisoned on the island of Sumatra. She will be joined by the Duke of Edinburgh for a service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will take part in the Far East Prisoners of War VJ Day 80th Anniversary Service at Norwich Cathedral, before attending a second ceremony in Suffolk dedicated to the children and families of former Far East prisoners of war.

This year’s commemorations follow the royal family’s participation in events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) in May, which celebrated Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945. The VJ Day milestone serves as a reminder of the global nature of the conflict and the enduring debt owed to those who served in the Pacific theatre.