The 80th anniversary celebrations for VE Day have begun.

Senior royals waved to thousands of people from the Buckingham Palace balcony as a Red Arrows flypast continued the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The King and Queen, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, watched on with tilted heads as the VE Day flypast soared over.

Veterans smiled and looked up as the flypast went over the palace, and army veteran Joe Mines, 100, could be seen waving while others applauded.

The display narrowly avoided heavy rainfall as the weather changed just as crowds began to disperse.

The spectacle followed a military procession, in which Nato allies marched alongside 1,300 members of the UK armed forces.

Sir Winston Churchill’s 1945 victory speech, spoken by actor Timothy Spall, kicked off events on Bank Holiday Monday.

There was applause from the crowds as the royals took their seats in the royal box to watch the parade, while William shook the hand of one veteran as he took his seat.

His children followed his example, with Kate the last to greet the serviceman as she sat beside him.

He later appeared to show her some photographs and she took one to give it a closer look.

The King saluted as the procession reached the Queen Victoria Memorial.

Shortly after the royals took their seats, light drizzle prompted many to put up umbrellas, as the King helped to wrap veteran Joy Trew up in blankets.

The royal family are scheduled to take part in engagements over the next four days, less than a week after the Duke of Sussex told the BBC his father will not speak to him and he does not know how much longer the King has left.

The King and Queen are “looking forward” to the week’s events, and it is understood that, out of respect for the surviving veterans, Buckingham Palace hopes “nothing will detract or distract from celebrating with full cheer and proud hearts that precious victory and those brave souls, on this most special and poignant of anniversaries”.

In Whitehall, the Cenotaph was draped in a large Union flag, with the south and north face of the landmark covered.

It is the first time the war memorial has been draped in Union flags since it was unveiled by King George V more than a century ago, in 1920.

Crowds started to gather on The Mall on Monday morning, with some arriving the day before to secure a viewing spot.