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“At first, the prospect seemed bleak, the end too far, and the outcome unclear,” said Queen Elizabeth II, but believing that doing the right thing had taken people through difficult times. With these words, the head of state of Great Britain addressed his population in a television address and commemorated the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. On May 8, 1945, the war in Europe ended with the unconditional surrender of the Wehrmacht.
“Never give up, never despair,” was the message of Victory Day in Europe, said the Queen. The speech was broadcast at the same time as a radio speech by Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, who addressed his nation at the end of the war, and was deliberately staged otherwise. A photo of her father was placed on a desk in front of her. On the other side was the military cap that he had worn when he was young. The then Princess Elizabeth had trained as a trucker and mechanic in a women’s section of the British Army during the war.
The enemies became friends
“I vividly remember the lively scenes that my sister and I witnessed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with our parents and Winston Churchill,” said the Queen. Later, the two young women mingled with the party crowd on the streets of London, the Queen told the BBC once. At the time, however, he was also aware that the war would cause more casualties. It was not until August that the weapons were surrendered in the Pacific after Japan surrendered.
The 94-year-old man recalled the many human lives that the “terrible conflict” had claimed. The best appreciation for the sacrifice they made was “that the countries that were once bitter enemies are now friends working hand in hand for all of us, peace, health and prosperity,” said the Queen. According to Buckingham Palace, she is the only living head of state to have served in World War II.
Minute of silence for the victims.
The queen retired to Windsor Castle near London in the coronavirus pandemic with her husband, Prince Philip, 98. Street events and festivals commemorating the end of the war were largely canceled. However, the streets are not empty, said Isabel II, “they are full of” love and care that we feel for others. “They are proud to see what people are willing to do for others.
The Queen’s speech was apparently very popular in Britain, which was particularly affected by the crown pandemic. The Times wrote of encouraging words from “our persevering great head of state”: “These are difficult times. Listening to someone who knows everything about bravery and danger says that we will pass this test means tremendous.”
Several planes from the Red Arrows aerobatic team flew over the British capital London on Friday morning and colored the sky with traces of smoke in the colors of red, blue and white from Union Jacks. At 11 a.m., the dead were commemorated across the country with a minute of silence. Heir to the throne, Prince Charles, deposited a wreath at a memorial to the fallen in Scotland, where he currently resides.