King's vow on VJ Day anniversary

THE King has vowed that the service and sacrifice of Second World War heroes who fought and died in the Pacific and Far East will never be forgotten on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

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In an audio message to the nation, realms and Commonwealth, the King reflects on the horrors experienced by prisoners of war and innocent civilians of occupied lands in the region "whose suffering reminds us that war's true cost extends beyond battlefields, touching every aspect of life".

VJ Day - today, August 15 - marks the anniversary of Japan's surrender to the Allies following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, effectively ending the Second World War.

The six-minute speech, recorded earlier this month in the Morning Room at Clarence House, echoes and references the historic audio broadcast made by Charles's grandfather King George VI.