A military parade and planned balcony appearance by the royal family on Monday kicked off four days of UK celebrations marking 80 years since the end of World War II.

King Charles III, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and thousands of spectators watched as NATO personnel from the US, France and Germany, along with a small number of Ukrainian troops, joined a military procession that began with Winston Churchill's 1945 victory speech, voiced by actor Timothy Spall.

"Do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straight forward and die if need be, unconquered," bellowed Spall, stood by Churchill's statue in Parliament Square.

As European countries gear up to celebrate Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8, the war in Ukraine is a reminder "that peace is never to be taken for granted", Charles told the Italian parliament last month.

"Today, sadly, the echoes of those times -- which we fervently hoped had been consigned to history -- reverberate across our continent," the king said.

Monday's procession of 1,000 troops was to culminate in a fly past........

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