Queen's new address for VE Day as nation urged to sing We'll Meet Again

The Queen will make an address to the nation on the day the UK marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The nation will also be encouraged to open their doors immediately afterwards and sing the famous wartime song We’ll Meet Again.

The government has announced The Queen’s special message on May 8 as it confirms major changes to the country’s plans to celebrate VE Day - the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

The message will be broadcast at 9pm – the same time as her father, King George VI, gave an historic radio address on May 8, 1945

Prince Charles will also do a reading from the King’s diary from that same day.

The diary entries by Prince Charles’ grandfather includes his description of the Royal Family’s iconic balcony appearances for that day when the UK celebrate its hard fought victory.

Buckingham Palace was bombed during World War II. Credit: PA

There will be a national two minute silence at 11am on the day as the Department for Culture announces it had been forced to amend its original plans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The planned procession for the dwindling number of WWII veterans has been cancelled.

Members of the Royal Family will carry out video calls with many of the veterans instead.

Extracts from Sir Winston Churchill’s victory speech will also be read at 3pm to commemorate the moment peace in Europe was announced 75 years ago.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will also make a speech.

It is hoped the nation will sing Dame Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again after the Queen's speech. Credit: PA

It is hoped the street parties and parades that had been planned before the pandemic swept through the UK will be replaced by 1940s style afternoon tea parties.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden said: “Whilst we now need to celebrate VE 75 in our homes and on our doorsteps, rather than in parades and street parties, I know the nation will come together to mark this historic occasion."

The Queen will record her message using the same strict social distancing guidelines put in place when she recorded her special broadcast on the coronavirus outbreak.

She remains at Windsor Castle with Prince Philip.

Then Princess Elizabeth worked as a mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WWII. Credit: PA

Buckingham Palace has not announced which members of the Royal Family will join in the video calls.

Prince Charles and Camilla are at Birkhall in Scotland while Prince William and Kate are staying at Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their three children.

The Queen is one of the few people still alive who remember the Second World War.

Her parents moved the young Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, to Windsor Castle while King George and Queen Elizabeth spent many nights at Buckingham Palace, even during the Blitz.

Princess Elizabeth later worked in the Auxiliary Territorial Service - the women’s branch of the British Army – as a mechanic.

Bob Gamble OBE from the Royal British Legion said: “As we face some of the most challenging times since the Second World War, now more than ever it is important to unite in recognition of people’s service to the nation, just as communities did 75 years ago.”