The debt can never truly be repaid; but we can, and will, remember them

THE King hailed “the service and sacrifice” of the wartime generation in a historic speech on the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

- By Emily Ferguson

Speaking at 9pm, the same time his grandfather King George VI addressed the nation 80 years earlier, Charles said: “While our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone.”

The 76-year-old monarch took to the stage last night to deliver an address to the nation at a celebration concert from Horse Guards Parade, where he was joined by the Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

He gave thanks to all those who served in the Second World War, saying: “That debt can never truly be repaid; but we can, and we will, remember them.”

In his seven-minute speech, the King reflected on his visit to Normandy to commemorate the D-Day landings and his visit to Auschwitz in January to mark 80 years since its liberation describing it as “the most vivid reminder of why Victory in Europe truly was the triumph of good over evil”.