The Princess of Wales exuded elegance at a celebratory concert to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Catherine was a vision on Thursday wearing a Self-Portrait midi dress that she previously wore to Platinum Party at the Palace—one of Queen Elizabeth‘s Platinum Jubilee celebrations—in 2022.
For the concert on May 8, the Princess of Wales also recycled the five-strand faux pearl necklace from Susan Caplan that she wore this past January to a service on Holocaust Memorial Day. She also accessorized her outfit with earrings from the same vintage jewelry brand. The Princess completed her chic look with her hair styled half up with an oversized black velvet bow.
© Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesCatherine joined Prince William, as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla, at the concert held at Horse Guards Parade on the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day. His Majesty paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives in World War II during his speech at the event, which was delivered at 9 p.m., the same time his grandfather, King George VI, made a radio broadcast on VE day back in 1945.
© CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images“It is now eighty years since my grandfather, King George VI, announced to the nation and the Commonwealth that ‘the dreadful shadow of war has passed from our hearths and our homes’. The liberation of Europe was secured,” the King said in his remarks. “His words echo down through history as all this week, and especially today, we unite to celebrate and remember with an unwavering and heartfelt gratitude, the service and sacrifice of the wartime generation who made that hard-fought victory possible. 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.”
© Isabel Infantes-WPA Pool/Getty ImagesCharles continued, “Now, as then, we are united in giving utmost thanks to all those who served in the Armed Forces, the uniformed services, the Home Front, – indeed all the people of this country, the Commonwealth and beyond whose firm resolve and fortitude helped destroy Nazism and carry our allied nations through to V.E. Day. That debt can never truly be repaid; but we can, and we will, remember them.”
© Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty ImagesHis Majesty also pointed out that “in remembering the past, we must also look to the future.” “As the number of those who lived through the Second World War so sadly dwindles, the more it becomes our duty to carry their stories forward, to ensure their experiences are never to be forgotten. We must listen, learn and share, just as communities across the nation have been doing this week at local street parties, religious services and countless small acts of remembrance and celebration,” he said. “And as we reach the conclusion of the 80th Anniversary commemorations, we should remind ourselves of the words of our great wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill, who said ‘Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war’. In so doing, we should also rededicate ourselves not only to the cause of freedom but to renewing global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy, and to the prevention of conflict.”
“For as my grandfather put it: ‘We shall have failed, and the blood of our dearest will have flowed in vain, if the victory which they died to win does not lead to a lasting peace, founded on justice and established in good will,'” the King added. “Just as those exceptional men and women fulfilled their duty to each other, to humankind, and to God, bound by an unshakeable commitment to nation and service, in turn it falls to us to protect and continue their precious legacy – so that one day hence generations yet unborn may say of us: ‘they too bequeathed a better world.'”
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