NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Kate Middleton<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Prince William<\/a> are marking a poignant anniversary.\n<\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales broke into their summer break on Friday, Aug. 15 to issue an emotional message praising the sacrifice of the wartime generation on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan.\n<\/p>\n \u201cToday, on the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, we remember the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all who served. Today we especially think of those British and Commonwealth troops who fought in the Asia-Pacific,\u201d Kate and William, both 43, wrote.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe owe an enduring debt to the generation who gave so much, and to whom we will always be grateful.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The royal couple signed off the social media post<\/a> with their initials: \u201cLest we forget. W&C.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Prince William and Kate Middleton at the Westminster Abbey service for VE Day in May this year.<\/p>\n AARON CHOWN\/POOL\/AFP via Getty<\/p>\n VJ Day marks the end of WWII in Japan and the Pacific. The Japanese surrender followed the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945.\n<\/p>\n In May, the royal family, including William and Kate\u2019s three young children,\u00a0Prince George<\/a>,\u00a012, Princess Charlotte<\/a>, 10,\u00a0and\u00a0Prince Louis<\/a>, 7, commemorated the end of the war in Europe. Then, there were parades and a flypast at Buckingham Palace.\n<\/p>\n William and Kate\u2019s message on Aug. 15 came ahead of a formal commemoration of the anniversary, where King Charles<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Queen Camilla<\/a> led the U.K. at a service of remembrance at the National Artboretum in Staffordshire, England.\n<\/p>\n Earlier, Charles, 76, addressed the nation, praising the ever-decreasing number of veterans and their loved ones for their service of eight decades ago. “So to the families of all those who served, and to that sadly dwindling band of veterans among us still, please know that the courage and camaraderie displayed in humanity’s darkest hour is a flame that shall blaze for eternity \u2013 a beacon that honors our past and guides our future.”\n<\/p>\n And conjuring up memories of his own grandfather George VI who spoke 80 years ago at the end of the war. He said,\u00a0\u201cThe war is over\u2019, declared my Grandfather, King George VI, in his address to the nation and Commonwealth on V.J. Day 80 years ago today \u2013 four short words after six long years of bloodshed, fear and suffering.\u201d\n<\/p>\n King Charles recording his VJ Day address at Clarence House in London on Aug. 14, 2025.<\/p>\n Aaron Chown – Pool\/Getty<\/p>\n \u201cSeldom can a simple message have resonated with such a potent mix of relief, celebration, and sorrow for those who never lived to see the glow of freedom\u2019s new dawn,” the message continued.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOn this day of profound remembrance, I speak to you in that same spirit of commemoration and celebration as we honor anew all those whose service and sacrifice saw the forces of liberty prevail.\u201d\n<\/p>\n William and Kate’s message on social media on Aug. 15, 2025.<\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales\/Instagram<\/p>\n He also referred to the suffering of the cities under the dropping of the first atomic bombs in the last weeks of the war.\n<\/p>\n “On this landmark anniversary, we should also pause to acknowledge that in the war\u2019s final act, an immense price was paid by the citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki \u2013 a price we pray no nation need ever pay again,” Charles said.<\/p>\n “But in recalling so much suffering, we must not lose sight of how great was the cause and how sweet the victory. For those heroes of V.J. Day gave us more than freedom; they left us the example of how it can and must be protected,” he added.\n<\/p>\n