Feb. 22, 2025

King Charles to lead VE Day ceremonies

Show Notes
Transcript

King Charles will lead the nation in commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day, presiding over a series of events to honour the sacrifices of the wartime generation. Accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, His Majesty will attend a special Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, where veterans, their families, and dignitaries—including the Prime Minister—will gather in tribute to those who fought and fell in the Second World War.

And yeah we're gonna talk about Meghan.

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Caalaruga shark Media, All and welcome to Pallace intrigugam your host,

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Mark Francis. King Charles will lead the nation in commemorating

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the eightieth anniversary of ve Day, presiding over a series

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of events to honor the sacrifices of the Wartime generation.

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Accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, His Majesty

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will attend a special service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey,

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where veterans, their families and dignitaries, including the Prime Minister,

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will gather in tribute to those who fought and fell

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in the Second World War. On May eighth, the King

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will lead the Royal Family at the Cenotaph for the

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official commemorations marking eight decades since the war's end in Europe.

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In a statement, Prime Minister Sukiya Stamer emphasized that the

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program of events will serve as a moment of national unity,

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ensuring that we do that generation proud. Among the key

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highlights of the universe, we will be a grand concert

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at horse Guards Parade, featuring music and entertainment in honor

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of the Wartime generation. A spectacular flypast incorporating aircraft from

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the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Red

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Arrows will take place as the commemorative parade winds its

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way through central London. Veterans, military personnel and representatives from

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key wartime organizations will march from Westminster Abbey to Whitehall,

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passing the historic balcony where Winston Churchill famously addressed the

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crowds on ve Day in nineteen forty five. A royal

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source has indicated that His Majesty is deeply committed to

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honoring the war heroes, particularly after a challenging year during

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which he has resumed his duties while undergoing treatment for cancer.

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Buckingham Palace is expected to release a personal tribute from

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the King reflecting on the legacy of the Second World

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War generation and those who have served in the years since.

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Beyond the capital, celebrations will be held nationwide over the

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Bank holiday weekend from May third to May fifth. Street

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parties reminiscent of the jubilant scenes of nineteen forty five

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will take place across the country. Iconic landmarks including Saint

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Paul's Cathedral, the House of Parliament and Trafalgar Square will

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be eliminated each evening with V shaped beams of light

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are striking homage to the victory celebrations of eight decades ago.

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The significance of V Day anniversaries has long been marked

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by poignant royal tributes. On the seventy fifth anniversary in

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twenty twenty, Queen Elizabeth I delivered a moving address to

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the nation recalling the war's hardships and the joy of peace.

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Speaking from Windsor Castle, she echoed the words of her father,

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King George the Sixth, whose radio broadcast on May eighth,

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nineteen forty five became a defining moment of the day's celebrations.

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The late queens spoke of the greatest tribute to those

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who fought a world where former enemies had become allies.

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Past commemorations have seen similarly stirring tributes. The fiftieth anniversary

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in nineteen ninety five brought half a million people to

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the Mall for what was described as Britain's largest celebration

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since the war. The Queen Mother stood alongside her daughters,

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Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret on the Buckingham Palace balcony

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as Dame Vera Lynne, then seventy eight, led the crowds

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in a rendition of the White Cliffs of Dover. A

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historic flypast featuring spitfires, hurricanes and Lancaster bombers provided a

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fitting salute. A new book on the British monarchy has

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shed further light on Meghan's difficulties adjusting to royal life,

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claiming that her real problem was with the strict hierarchy

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and protocols that dictated the daily lives of senior members

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of the royal family. According to yes Man by Tom Quinn,

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Meghan found it particularly frustrating that she was expected to

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coordinate her schedule with pallace staff and senior royals, a

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restriction she reportedly hated. A former Kensington Palace staff member

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quoted in the book explained Meghan quite rightly hated the

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fact that when she was in Nottingham Cottage she had

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to agree well in advance of what time she might

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leave for an appointment or an event, and she had

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to make sure she didn't leave at the same time

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as or clash in any way with a more senior

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royal leaving the palace. This requirement, common in royal circles

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to ensure the proper pecking order was maintained, was reportedly

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a source of considerable frustration for Meghan. Having built a

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career in Hollywood where she had full control over her schedule,

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she found the Palace's bureaucratic approach to be an unnecessary constraint.

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An insider described as a former employee of the late

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Queen Elizabeth I elaborated on the deeper issue at play.

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Meghan had plans for her life as a working royal

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that were not going to be part of a general

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strategy agreed with the staff. She just wanted to do

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her own thing, which is fair enough if you're not

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a member of a tightly controlled institution. But it was

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never going to be acceptable that Meghan should outshine Princess Anne,

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Prince Charles as he was then, and Elizabeth the Queen.

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Quite rightly, Elizabeth always had to be the center and

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focus of everything the royal family did, and I don't

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think Megan understood why that had to make her do

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things she didn't want to do. She didn't understand that

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when you join the royal family, you don't do as

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you please, you do as you're told. Prince Harry has

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spoken openly about the role therapy plays in helping him

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process the emotional weight of listening to the often harrowing

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stories of injured and military veterans participating in the Invictors Games.

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In a televised interview with the Canadian broadcast at CTV News,

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Harry revealed that he undergoes therapy to relieve the pressure

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that comes with supporting veterans who have endured life altering trauma.

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Speaking with former Canadian soldier Mark Beer, who was diagnosed

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with PTSD and major depressive disorder after years of carrying

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the emotional burdens of his fellow serviceman, Harry shared, I

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do my own therapy. I think it's really important for

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everything that we take on as individuals who help other people,

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that you also need to find a place to be

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able to relieve that pressure on yourself. He added that

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while he strives to offer support and advice, he is

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mindful of the sensitivity of such conversations, stating, timing is everything.

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The last thing I want to do is be the

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person to prober a little bit deeper. Harry notably served

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two tours in Afghanistan. Harry and Meghan can't even seem

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to get PDA right. Marketing expert Edward Corran James commented

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to the express about the Lovebird's behavior in Vancouver. They've

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both been under constant public scrutiny, and after everything last

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year with the relationship rumors, this kind of PDA is

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no accident. If they hadn't done this, people would have

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immediately speculated that their relationship was in a bad place,

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which would have been the worst thing for the Netflix premiere.

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So yes, this is strategic and clever. We're confident that

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whatever the worst thing is for the Netflix premiere, Meghan

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will find a way to tap into it. Tell Us

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Intrigue a ratback. Prince Harry was facing a fresh challenge

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as the US Department of Homeland Security had agreed to

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release three re dams DID items from his visa records,

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marking a major shift in the ongoing legal battle over

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his immigration status. However, the fourth document will remain sealed

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due to privacy concerns as ruled by the court. The case,

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initiated by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, seeks

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to determine whether the Duke of Sussex disclosed his past

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drug use on his immigration forms. This follows admissions in

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his memoir Spare and Netflix series where he recounted using

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cannabis cocaine and magic mushrooms. Judge Carl Nichols has maintained

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that as much material as possible should be made public,

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though he previously upheld Prince Harry's right to privacy when

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denying a full release of the documents in September. The

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latest decision signals a partial victory for the Heritage Foundation,

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as the redacted disclosures could shed further light on the

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Duke's US residency status. President Trump had previously indicated he

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would give Harry a break because, quote, he's got enough

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problems with his wife and they have it. Like to

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email us addresses the Palace in you get gmail dot com.

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Please follow us on Spotify, Apple or the app of

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your choice and leave us a review of five stars

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if you're enjoying the show, and please join us for

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our new show from Callaogashark Media called Wait Smoke, The

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Path to a New Pope. You can find that wherever

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you get your podcasts like this one White Smoke. Check

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it out. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to you, John McDermott.

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This is Palace Intrigue in good terms

King Charles to lead VE Day ceremonies

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