The Prince and Princess of Wales have greeted veterans at the VE Day Parade as thousands line the streets of London to mark 80 years since the end of the World War Two in Europe begin.

William and Catherine exchanged words with veterans sitting on the Queen Victoria Memorial viewing platform, amid applause from the crowd.

King Charles is overseeing the Victory in Europe (VE Day) events, which span four days, and include a flypast over Buckingham Palace featuring 23 current and historic military aircraft.

At noon, the ceremony began with a recitation of Winston Churchill's famous VE Day speech by actor Timothy Spall.

• Follow live: VE Day 80th anniversary commemorations to begin with procession and Red Arrows flypast

The King and Queen were joined by the prince and princess, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, to watch a military procession through the capital on Monday. Other events are also taking place across the country.

A military procession, involving more than 1,300 people made its way from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

The King stood and saluted as the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Before the procession arrived, cadets and scouts watching on cheered and waved to the royal family from the paths nearby.

Later on, a flypast will follow, featuring 23 current and historic military aircraft.

Following Elizabeth II's death in 2022, this year will be the first landmark VE Day commemoration without any of the royals who stood on the balcony that day, 80 years ago.

VE Day was declared on 8 May 1945, after Britain and its allies formally accepted Nazi Germany's surrender after almost six years of war.

At 15:00, the then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced WW2 in Europe had come to an end.

Spontaneous celebrations erupted across the country, and the late queen and her sister Princess Margaret joined a group of friends to experience the excitement in London.

On Monday morning, the excitement began early for Maria and Chris Naynor and their three grandchildren, who left their home in Reading at 05:30 BST to get a prime spot along the Mall - armed with cream tea and gin and tonics.

Chris's father served in the armed forces and was wounded in Dunkirk, and his mother was out celebrating on the streets of London on VE Day in 1945.

Maria said it was critical to remember "all the people who gave their lives for freedom" and teach children about it.

To mark the historic event, the Cenotaph in Whitehall has been draped in a large Union flag - the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.

Watching from the Mall, Grace Gothard, from Mitcham, made her Union Jack dress draped with the Ghanian flag while Satvinder Cubb, from Chingford made a frock made from two "Lest we forget" scarves.

Satvinder said they wanted to be in the capital to remember all the people "who fought for us", as the last generation of WW2 veterans were growing older.

She described the message of VE Day as bringing together people from different countries and different age groups to say "why don't we unite together? Why can't there be peace?"

The Royal Family is hoping "nothing will detract or distract" from the commemorations, following Prince Harry's candid interview with the BBC on Friday, in which he discussed his estrangement from his father and desire for reconciliation.

The King and Queen will host a tea party at Buckingham Palace later in the afternoon for around 50 veterans, their families and other members of the wartime generation.

Elsewhere, street parties will be held across the UK, with some councils such as Portsmouth waiving fees to close roads for the celebrations.

The Palace of Westminster, the Shard and Lowther Castle in Penrith are among buildings which will be illuminated from 21:00 BST on Tuesday.

A service at Westminster Abbey will begin with a national two-minute silence of remembrance on Thursday. Churches and cathedrals across the country will also ring their bells at 18:30 BST.

Pubs and bars in England and Wales which usually close at 23:00 BST will be able to keep serving for an extra two hours to celebrate on Thursday.

Additional reporting by Mallory Moench and Ashitha Nagesh

• SIMPLE GUIDE: Red Arrows, royals and street parties: What to look out for
• LIVE: Follow all the latest from VE Day commemorations
• BBC FOOD: How to throw a VE Day street party
• ANALYSIS: Europe marks VE Day with Trump on its mind
• EXPLORE: More on VE Day

France's former interior minister has apologised for the first time for the 2022 fiasco at the Stade de France which saw Liverpool football supporters wrongly blamed for a riot.

Gérald Darmanin admitted that security arrangements for the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid were wrong, and that his first public remarks – blaming English fans – were a mistake.

"It was a failure because I had not foreseen. That was a mistake on my part. I was led astray by my preconceptions," said Darmanin, now France's justice minister.

"The scapegoat was easy to find, and I apologise now to Liverpool supporters. They were quite right to be hurt. It was a mistake and a failure."

Police used tear gas on Liverpool supporters, and some fans were mugged by gangs of French youths.

In a lengthy interview on the Legend YouTube channel, Darmanin said the night was "the biggest failure" of his career.

"What I did not appreciate that evening was that the real problem was not coming from English supporters, but from delinquents who were robbing fans.

• Liverpool fans' claim 'can be heard in England'

"Our security arrangements were not designed for that eventuality. We had riot police … with big boots and shields – not great for running. What you need against that kind of delinquency is officers in running shoes.

"We got our arrangements wrong. We were expecting a war of (football) hooligans, and what we got instead was muggers."

In their first comments after the problems, Darmanin and police chief Didier Lallement said the dangerous crush at the stadium was largely caused by Liverpool fans in possession of fake tickets.

The claim was subsequently debunked in an independent report commissioned by UEFA.

In another section of the interview, Darmanin said that there was "no longer any safe place" in France - a comment that drew fire from the hard-right opposition.

"What a lot of French people can see is that (violence) has become general, it has metastasised. It's no longer only in the places where you once looked for potential problems.

"Nowadays you can see that the tiniest country village has experience of cocaine or cannabis."

National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy noted that Darmanin has been in government since President Emmanuel Macron's first election in 2017.

Tungay said he was "treating the French like imbeciles, making all these so-called tough declarations when the record is so catastrophic".

Darmanin, who is 42 and from the political right, did nothing in the interview to dispel speculation that he might be in the running to replace Macron in 2027.

"Do I think of the presidential election? The answer is yes," he said.

"That does not mean that I am going to be a candidate, but it does mean I have ambitions for the country to do better than what I see now."

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election.

George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May.

He will face liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who narrowly defeated the Social Democrat (PSD) candidate.

Ciolacu told party supporters that as the coalition had failed to meet its objective and "has no credibility after the Romanian vote, I will propose that PSD leaves this coalition".

His party had only come to power in a pro-EU coalition after elections on 1 December 2024, although George Simion's far-right party along with two other groupings had attracted a third of the vote.

Simion's victory was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations.

Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister.

Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote.

Four days of events to commemorate 80 years since Victory in Europe Day began with a military procession through London in front of huge crowds, proud veterans and three generations of royals.

A military procession including Regiments of the Household Division and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery paraded down the Mall from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles saluted as the procession arrived at the Palace having made its way up the Union Jack-lined Mall.

He was joined by other royals as well as veterans, politicians and members of the public, who welcomed the military groups as they drew nearer the Palace.

Three generations of royals were on show, including the King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family.

Political figures in attendance included London's Mayor Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria.

Earlier, the procession began its journey outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as the clock tower's famous bells rang out.

Meanwhile, actor Timothy Spall stood in front of Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to recite part of the former wartime prime minister's original VE Day broadcast.

As he did so, the procession made its way around the corner and up the Mall.

Outside of the high profile benches in front of Buckingham Palace, members of the public lined the Mall to watch the procession and take in the atmosphere.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers joined the march, solemnly parading a Ukrainian flag and wearing military uniform.

While over at the Tower of London, a display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies made up the exhibition called The Tower Remembers, created by designer Tom Piper.

They were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins's Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower in 2014.

This VE Day 80 parade was a celebration that paid its respects, with some poignancy, to the wartime generation. There was an understated warmth that suited the moment.

This week's events will be one the last big public moments of recognition for the diminishing number of veterans from World War Two.

For Monday's events, veterans had pride of place on a viewing platform at the top of the Mall, sitting alongside the Royal Family and the prime minister, watching the military parade and marching bands.

These veterans are now in their late 90s and older, commemorating an event which took place when many were still only teenagers.

In today's fragile political climate there is often talk about defending democracy.

But these veterans had actually done that and won, and remain now as some of the last representatives of a generation that fought Nazism and all of the intolerance and barbarism that represented.

Many of those who had cared for others were now reliant on carers for themselves. It's a different kind of battle.

On the viewing platform King Charles was chatting to Joy Trew, a wireless operator in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, who was 18 on VE Day in 1945. This summer she will be 99 years old.

She said the King had helped tuck in a blanket to keep her warm on a chilly day. And she had told the King about the other female veterans: "A lot of the women look formidable and he said 'yes'."

After the modern RAF paid its own tribute with a thundering flypast, the veterans were slowly wheeled across to Palace, in one last column.

They were heading for a tea party held in their honour, with the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales hearing first hand stories that will soon slip into history.

Joyce Wilding, aged 100, remembered the celebrations in London on VE Day: "We went to Piccadilly where there was a stream of people singing and dancing, there were soldiers up lampposts, it was extraordinary.

"We were outside Buckingham Palace and you could hardly move there were so many people cheering and singing."

In that euphoric moment, the King's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, then in her twenties, had also secretly gone out among the crowds and had been part of a conga at the Ritz hotel.

Among the older guests was Henry Ducker, now aged 104, who was only 19 when he joined the RAF in 1940, working as a flight mechanic. He had spent VE Day in Italy.

He said Queen Camilla had been "quite funny, very humorous".

This 80th anniversary event had drawn big crowds along the Mall. They had given a particularly warm welcome to the Ukrainian contingent in the parade, carrying the blue and yellow flag of their country. It was a sharp reminder of present conflicts as well as those from the past.

The King had stood on the viewing platform, saluting the different military formations as they marched past. Was he thinking of his own grandfather, George VI, who had waved from the balcony on the original VE night?

Compared with reports of the feverish celebrations in 1945, these were relatively restrained crowds at this commemorative event. They were quietly paying their respects, many perhaps with their own thoughts and memories.

As is often the case with modern crowds, many were more interested in taking photos on their phones than cheering.

There is also an unmistakable growing distance in time.

Prince George was at Buckingham Palace for the tea party for veterans, listening in to the stories. But it's a long way back for his generation, with a 68-year gap between his birth and VE Day.

It's the same distance as between his father Prince William's birth and the outbreak of the First World War.

There were nostalgic street parties, but when younger generations hear about "spam" they'll be thinking about their email rather than the food cupboard.

This first big day of VE Day 80 commemorations caught the sense of reflection. The mood in London was good natured and supportive. Even the rain held off until the parade was over.

There were neighbourhood gatherings, from local community groups to Downing Street, celebrating the wartime spirit and a sense of togetherness.

And such public events might be a chance to privately remember those who had made sacrifices without ever seeking recognition.

It's a moment when memories are passed from one generation to the next and stories turn into history.

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Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned and his Social Democrat party is to leave the government after a right-wing nationalist candidate won the first round of the presidential election.

George Simion, a eurosceptic who has promised to put Romania first, won 40.9% of Sunday's vote and is expected to win a run-off vote on 18 May.

He will face liberal Bucharest Mayor Nicușor Dan, who narrowly defeated the Social Democrat (PSD) candidate.

Ciolacu told party supporters that as the coalition had failed to meet its objective and "has no credibility after the Romanian vote, I will propose that PSD leaves this coalition".

His party had only come to power in a pro-EU coalition after elections on 1 December 2024, although George Simion's far-right party along with two other groupings had attracted a third of the vote.

Simion's victory was largely driven by popular frustration at the annulment of presidential elections late last year. His likely success on 18 May is awaited nervously in European capitals, as well as in Kyiv. He has said he wants an EU of strong, sovereign nations.

Ciolacu is now expected to submit his resignation to interim president Ilie Bolojan, who will then appoint a caretaker prime minister.

Bolojan himself took on the role of interim president last February because of the scandal surrounding the annulment of the presidential vote.

Four days of events to commemorate 80 years since Victory in Europe Day began with a military procession through London in front of huge crowds, proud veterans and three generations of royals.

A military procession including Regiments of the Household Division and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery paraded down the Mall from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles saluted as the procession arrived at the Palace having made its way up the Union Jack-lined Mall.

He was joined by other royals as well as veterans, politicians and members of the public, who welcomed the military groups as they drew nearer the Palace.

Three generations of royals were on show, including the King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family.

Political figures in attendance included London's Mayor Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria.

Earlier, the procession began its journey outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as the clock tower's famous bells rang out.

Meanwhile, actor Timothy Spall stood in front of Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to recite part of the former wartime prime minister's original VE Day broadcast.

As he did so, the procession made its way around the corner and up the Mall.

Outside of the high profile benches in front of Buckingham Palace, members of the public lined the Mall to watch the procession and take in the atmosphere.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers joined the march, solemnly parading a Ukrainian flag and wearing military uniform.

While over at the Tower of London, a display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies made up the exhibition called The Tower Remembers, created by designer Tom Piper.

They were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins's Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower in 2014.

Film tariffs will form part of trade negotiations between the UK and US after Donald Trump said he would apply a 100% charge against movies made in foreign countries.

Trump said in an announcement overnight that he would apply tariffs to foreign-made films to help America's movie industry, which he said was dying "a very fast death".

In response, the UK government said trade negotiations with Washington were ongoing and it was taking a "calm and steady approach" to talks in a bid to "ease pressure on UK businesses".

It came as UK filmmakers warned freelancers in the industry risked being "jobless" if US productions were pulled, while one union saying the tariffs could be a "knock-out blow".

While much of the detail has yet to be announced, there is worry that UK film companies, which often produce movies with US firms - including recent blockbusters like Barbie and Wicked - could be badly hit.

"If those US films don't get partly produced or produced in the UK, freelancers are going to be jobless. I'm telling you now, they really are going to be jobless," Kirsty Bell, chief executive of UK production company Goldfinch, said.

Philippa Childs, head of media and entertainment trade union, Bectu, echoed those fears: "These tariffs, coming after Covid and the recent slowdown, could deal a knock-out blow to an industry that is only just recovering and will be really worrying news for tens of thousands of skilled freelancers who make films in the UK."

The UK film sector is worth £1.36 billion and employs more than 195,000 people, the government said in October.

A parliamentary committee's report published last month noted the UK's film and high-end television industry is "dominated" by inward investment from US studios and that this "brings significant economic and social benefits to the UK".

Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage said on Monday that MPs had warned "against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe" when the report came out.

"President Trump's announcement has made that warning all too real," she said.

Dame Caroline argued that making it more difficult to produce films in the UK was not in the interests of American businesses, many of which have invested in UK facilities, such as sound stages and studios.

She urged ministers to "urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently under way".

It is still not entirely clear whether Trump's plans will affect only British films exported to the US or if it will also have an impact on co-productions, as referenced by Goldfinch and others. The uncertainty itself is worrying for many.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday, Tim Richards, CEO and founder of Vue Entertainment, said: "The devil will be in the details and we need to parcel through exactly what [Trump] means.

"A big part of this is what constitutes US film, is it where the money comes from, the script, the director, the talent, where it was shot?

"Hollywood… has been in decline for some time," he said. "A lot of films are being shot in other states and in other markets, principally Canada, the UK and Australia. The cost base in California has been very high.

"But it's a more nuanced decision about where films are made and shot. It's not just the financing itself. One of the reasons the UK has done so well is we have some of the most highly skilled and experienced filmmakers and production crews in the world. We have a common language. People love shooting their films in the UK, they love bringing their families over, so there's a soft side to it as well."

Goldfinch concurred: "The issue isn't that foreign films are taking precedence over domestic films, it's that, firstly, films are cheaper to make overseas, because of lack of tax credits in certain places... the unions, the lower cost of labour, and buying budgets have been drastically reduced over two years, all driven by the change in viewing habits.

"People aren't going to the cinema as much and decline in subscription services and rise of social media platforms and content creators... the industry is entirely changed."

She added: "The answer is not tariffs if [Trump is] trying to kick-start the industry in Hollywood. It's developing an ecosystem for film-making that is entirely different to what has been before. There's seismic changes in how the entertainment industry is structured needing to happen."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Californian film commission offers a 20  percent base credit to feature films and TV series - lower than most other US states and countries like the UK and has a $330m (£248m) cap on the programme, which can make countries like the UK more attractive.

A government spokesperson said on Monday: "The film sector is a key part of the UK's world-class creative industries, which employ millions of people, generate billions for our economy and showcase the best of our creativity and culture to the world.

"We are absolutely committed to ensuring these sectors can continue to thrive and create good jobs right across the country, and will set this out through a new Creative Industries Sector Plan to be published soon.

"Talks on an economic deal between the US and the UK are ongoing - but we are not going to provide a running commentary on the details of live discussions or set any timelines because it is not in the national interest. We will continue to take a calm and steady approach to talks and aim to find a resolution to help ease the pressure on UK businesses and consumers."

'Hollywood'... in Borehamwood: Films in UK

Dozens of Hollywood blockbusters in recent years have actually seen the majority of their filming - known as principal photography - in the UK, including:

• Wicked: Part I (2024) and Part II (2025)
• Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
• Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)
• Snow White (2025)
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
• Back in Action (2025)
• Mickey 17 (2025)
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
• A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)
• Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
• Barbie (2023)

On a Sunday morning at the height of World War Two, 14-year-old Kit Lawie found herself sharing her breakfast table with three RAF men. At the time, she had no idea who they were – but soon one of them would be famous around the world as the leader of Operation Chastise, better known as the Dambusters raid.

Fast-forward more than 80 years and Kit, now 97, retains a vivid memory of that day.

"How much time have you got?" she smiles, as she begins to tell her story. "I've got all night if you need."

We are sitting in her small cottage in East Keal, a quiet village on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds and just a stone's throw from a number of RAF stations.

During the war, her family home, known as the Brickyard, was surrounded by fields and farmland owned by her father.

On that Sunday morning, Kit remembers her dad going into to the fields to count their cows.

But he ended up counting something very different.

"He came upon these three airmen in flying gear," Kit says. "They were in the wood opposite the Brickyard."

At first, her father thought they might be German spies. He was cautious.

Kit impersonates her dad's voice: "Come on out!"

The men, who were standing behind trees, did as they were told.

They explained that they were on a training exercise and had spent the night in the wood on a diet of chocolate bars.

"My father invited them in for breakfast," Kit says.

"My mother said, 'come on in, I'll do some eggs'," she laughs.

The family kitchen became a hive of curiosity. Who were these mysterious men who revealed little about themselves?

Over the table, Kit's brother, Fred, became hungry for answers and began quizzing the men.

"We can't tell you anything," came the stern reply. They were not for budging.

But the family were in no rush and kept chipping away.

"One of the three was senior because he had got wings," Kit explains.

"The others had half wings – one was an observer and the other a rear gunner."

One of the men was "much quieter" than the others.

"He didn't want them to impart any information," Kit says. "I think he was worried we were going to report him before they got back to camp, so he said very little."

Kit's father persisted, however, and this time he kept his question simple. "Who are you?"

On a piece of paper, the group wrote down their names: "Ernest Temple, David Llewellyn and G Gibson".

"Nothing else, no rank or anything," Kit says sternly.

"G Gibson" – the quiet one – was Wing Cdr Guy Gibson. He would go on to lead the Dambusters raid, but at the time Kit had no idea of his significance.

"We didn't pay attention to any of these names – they meant nothing to us at all," Kit explains.

By the time the men had finished their food, the family had found out more information.

They learned that the airmen's aim was to head west to reach the RAF station at Woodhall Spa, a further 10 miles or so away.

The family were eager to assist them as best they could and pointed to an on old map of England on the wall.

Later, as they stood on a nearby hill ready to wave them off, Kit recalls her brother asking one last question about just what it was that they were training for.

"Look at the newspapers perhaps," they were told, cryptically.

Later that day, one of the men, Ernest Temple, returned to their home.

He had borrowed an RAF bike and cycled the 10 miles from Woodhall simply to say thanks for the breakfast and their warm hospitality.

Time passed and the memory of this unexpected visit was put to one side. The paper with the names on was kept and stored in the middle of a book, a time capsule of sorts to find at a later date.

Months later, Kit and her family were listening to their old radio when the news of a daring raid was broadcast.

Finally, questions began to be answered.

On the night of 16-17 May 1943, Lancaster bombers of 617 Squadron, which flew from RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, used "bouncing bombs" to breach the Mohne and Edersee dams in Germany.

Officially known as Operation Chastise, the Dambusters raid involved 133 aircrew in 19 Lancasters. Eight planes were lost, 53 men killed and three became prisoners of war.

Gibson survived the raid and was awarded the Victoria Cross. He died in September 1944 aged just 26, when his plane crashed in the Netherlands.

"This announcement that we'd bombed the dams, they mentioned Gibson you see," Kit says.

"And we looked at each other and said, well that's the name on the piece of paper."

"Mother fished out the piece of paper and it just said G Gibson," Kit says. "It had to be him."

More than 80 years on, Kit is not sure of the exact date of the meeting, but Gibson spent much of the war in Lincolnshire, including at Digby, Cranfield, Coningsby and Scampton.

And when his face appeared in several newspapers, Kit was able to reaffirm that he was indeed the mysterious visitor to their home that morning.

He had eaten with her family as they had peppered him with questions.

Everything had now fallen into place. The cloud of mystery that surrounded their breakfast guests had cleared.

These airmen were no strangers. They were part of history.

• How the Dambusters raid unfolded
• The raid remembered by aircrew and people who lived near the dams

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