Veteran given the royal treatment at VE Day parade

A LOCAL war veteran enjoyed a moment of kindness from King Charles during this week’s VE Day celebrations in London.

- TED HENNESSEY & ROSIE SHEAD

Joy Trew, who signed up to join the war effort aged 17 and served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, said Charles tucked her blanket into her wheelchair during Monday’s military parade in London to prevent her from getting chilly.

“He bent down and tucked me in,” she said.

Of the procession, Ms Trew, who grew up in Bristol but now lives in Wells, said: “I said to him [the King] a lot of the women look formidable and he said ‘yes!’”

The 98-year-old said she discussed parenting with Charles and told him she had tried to be a strict mother to her children.

A 98-year-old former prisoner of war, a 99-year-old who served with the Desert Rats and took part in the D-Day landings, and a 100-year-old woman who worked in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), known as Churchill’s Secret Army, were also among 30 veteran guests of honour, according to the Royal British Legion (RBL) which helped organise the event.

The King told one veteran: “It’s so special to get you here on this sort of occasion. It’s the least we could do for you.”

Prince George, 11, joined William and his mother the Princess of Wales, along with the King and Queen and other members of the royal family, to meet the veterans on Monday.

The Prince of Wales told 101-year-old Alfred Littlefield, from Portchester, near Portsmouth, that George is “interested” in learning about those who served in the war, the veteran's granddaughter said.