Prince Charles leads VE Day commemorations

LONDON - Prince Charles led Britain in marking the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe day on Sunday, as thousands gathered across the country to celebrate the end of World War 2. 

Charles joined war veterans and hundreds of members of the public to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph, the national war memorial, to commemorate VE day which was proclaimed on May 8, 1945. 

Parades, street parties and church services were also held across Britain.  

In London, hundreds of former servicemen and their families gathered at the Cenotaph in Whitehall to observe a two minute silence.  

The Prince's new wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, watched the service from a nearby balcony in her first major state occasion since their wedding.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright was one of more than 50 heads of state taking part in a commemoration on Moscow's Red Square.

Asked what the significance of the anniversary was, she said: "From the New Zealand point of view, we lost a very large number in the war and so it was a very important period for us even though our country was not threatened directly as Russia was. And so to commemorate the end of the war is a significant occasion for New Zealand."

Commemorations to mark the end of the war that cost at least 50 million lives worldwide were also taking place in Berlin, Paris and Washington.  

US President George W Bush attended a ceremony at the US cemetery at Margraten near the southern Dutch city of Maastricht to pay tribute to the allied soldiers who died to free Europe from Nazi Germany.  

In Britain, war veterans and members of the public gathered for street parties in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool, with many dressing in the style of the 1940s and dancing to war time music.  

A televised two-hour concert will be held in Trafalgar Square later on Sunday evening, featuring young artists such as Will Young and Katie Melua and a special appearance from Vera Lynn, the World War 2 "Forces' Sweetheart". 

The concert, which will also feature footage of the original Trafalgar Square VE Day celebrations, will be shown live on giant screens in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Hull. 

The service at the Cenotaph marked the beginning of a series of events to be held this year.  

Queen Elizabeth will lead national remembrance on July 10.  

The allies had agreed to celebrate victory on May 9, 1945 but journalists broke the news of Germany's surrender prematurely, prompting mass rejoicing on May 8.  

The Soviet Union kept to the agreed date and Russia still marks victory in Europe on May 9.  

- REUTERS