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Veterans, royals, Red Arrows and a packed Mall: VE Day at 80 in pictures

Pool via Getty Images The Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Edinburgh, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal, King Charles III, the Duke of Kent, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, the Princess of Wales, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte all stand on the balcony in formal dress while the King and Queen stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with a union flag in the foreground.Pool via Getty Images
The King and Queen were joined by members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on Monday

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, followed by a dramatic RAF flypast over Buckingham Palace.

Proud veterans joined politicians and three generations of royals for the day's poignant and celebratory events.

Reuters Second World War veterans and other guests look up at the sky as they watch the Red Arrows and other military aircraft fly over Buckingham Palace against a cloudy sky.Reuters

The Red Arrows jetted through the London sky as part of the aerial tribute organised by the Ministry of Defence.

The flypast also included military aircraft from RAF bases all around the UK, delighting spectators and gripped young royals on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

AS1 Amelia Turnbull/PA Wire A grey C17 Globemaster bomber plane is pictured flying through the air, having been captured by a photographer positioned on another aircraft above it which is out-of-frame. Below the aircraft a huge crowd is seen gathered around the statue and fountain in front of Buckingham Palace with green foliage around them.AS1 Amelia Turnbull/PA Wire
PA Media William, Prince of Wales looks up to the sky while Catherine, Princess of Wales laughs and their three children look up to the sky as they stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.PA Media
AS1 Amelia Turnbull/PA Wire An aerial view shows the Red Arrows deploying their colouful smoke as they fly over Buckingham Palace and the crowds down below.AS1 Amelia Turnbull/PA Wire
Reuters A huge crowd gather in the Mall after the procession, and look up to the sky while filming and taking photos with mobile phones, with union flags and green foliage lining the street and Buckingham Palace in the background.Reuters
Reuters Veterans and members of the armed forces gather outside Buckingham Palace and gaze up to watch RAF aircraft fly over the palace against a cloudy grey sky.Reuters
PA Media The Red Arrows and four other military aircraft fly over Trafalgar Square as spectators hold up their phones to photograph the aerial display happening in a cloudy sky.PA Media

Earlier, 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.

LPhot Mathew Bradley / MOD The procession of military personnel riding horses parade down the Mall with union jacks and green foliage lining the street and Buckingham Palace in the background.LPhot Mathew Bradley / MOD

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

PA Media The King can be seen from the rear as he salutes wearing formal attire and a white military hat, while military personnel on horseback march down the Mall in the background with union flags and trees lining the street.PA Media

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 Starmer.

Getty Images The Princess of Wales laughs while wearing a plum-coloured dress and hat. She's sitting next to a veteran wearing military badges with bunting in front of them that says '80' on little red and blue flagsGetty Images
PA Media (L-R) Veteran Bernard Morgan, the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and the Prince of Wales sit on the front row of benches of a crowd outside Buckingham Palace with bunting saying '80' at the front.PA Media
Getty Images Princess Anne smiles as she greets veterans while wearing brown military uniform and a hat, as the crowds gather around the Mall.Getty Images
PA Media Second World War veteran Alan Kennett closes his eyes while sitting down wearing a suit with military badges on his lapel and a cadet hat, next to a person wearing a skirt holding a white rose, as they gather to watch the procession.PA Media
PA Media Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is pictured speaking with veterans, with other veterans and onlookers surrounding them, in front of Buckingham Palace during the procession.PA Media

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

PA Media A low-down camera angle shows the military procession marching in Parliament Square outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament against a cloudy sky.PA Media

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.

PA Media Actor Timothy Spall wears a suit and tie as he reads from an A4 booklet in front of the statue of Churchill in Parliament Square.PA Media

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

PA Media Military members in bright red uniform, carrying gold sceptres and playing brass instruments, walk down the street.PA Media
AFP Members of the military parade down the street in central London during the procession. They wear brown military uniforms with brown cadet caps with motion blur as they march.AFP
PA Media Horseback military personnel wearing red uniforms and gold headwear march down the Mall.PA Media
PA Media A narrow aerial view shows various groups of military parading down the Mall with the statue in front of Buckingham Palace in the foreground.PA Media
PA Media Members of the procession carry flags of the Commonwealth nations while wearing uniforms and hats, in front of a building in central London.PA Media

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.

Reuters A small girl wearing a pink jumper waves a Union Jack in her hand while on the shoulders of a member of the crowd lining the Mall, with other members of the public around them and green foliage in the background.Reuters
EPA A person looks on while wearing a blue and white checkered suit and a union flag bow on her head, with other crowd members waving British flags alongside the side of the Mall during the procession.EPA
Reuters A small child wearing a bearskin hat and red uniform looks on as they sit on someone's shoulders with other members of the crowd next to them.Reuters

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

PA Media Military personnel wearing camouflage uniforms walk through Parliament Square while carrying a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag with Big Ben in the background.PA Media

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.

Getty Images A sea of red ceramic poppies flow down from the wall of the Tower of London onto the grass outside the building, with guards in uniform in the background.Getty Images
Getty Images A guard wearing formal attire looks on as red ceramic poppies are seen in the foreground against the backdrop of Tower Bridge against a grey sky.Getty Images