King Charles will address the nation next week Buckingham Palace confirm

King Charles has pre-recorded his message

King Charles will address the nation next week on August 15 (Image: Getty Images)

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Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles will address the nation next week to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day.

The King has pre-recorded an audio message set to be broadcast on 15 August, marking the day Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively concluding the Second World War.

The message will be aired prior to a remembrance service at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, attended by the Royal Family including the King and Queen, Second World War veterans, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The BBC will broadcast the service live, honouring all those who served in the Asia-Pacific theatre, including recipients of the Burma Star, British Indian Army veterans, former prisoners of war, and those who participated in key battles such as Kohima and Imphal in India.

The Royal British Legion, in collaboration with the Government, is hosting the event. The King and his wife, along with other senior figures, will lay floral tributes, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The ceremony will conclude with a national two-minute silence, followed by an aerial display from the Red Arrows. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will perform a flypast to mark the end of the service, after which the King and Queen will attend a reception with Second World War veterans.

While Charles and Camilla will be present at the National Memorial Arboretum event, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are set to attend a service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle, organised by the Royal British Legion Scotland.

Simultaneously, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will join the congregation at the Far East Prisoners of War VJ Day 80th Anniversary Service at Norwich Cathedral. They will then attend a second commemorative service dedicated to the Children and Families of the Far East Prisoners of War in Suffolk.

Before VJ Day, Sophie is scheduled to meet Second World War veteran Jim Wren, who was serving on HMS Repulse when he was captured and held on the Indonesian island of Sumatra until the end of the war.

The events marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day will wrap up with a reception for veterans at Windsor Castle later in the autumn.