Veterans, royals and a packed Mall - the celebrations in pictures

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PA Media The Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke of Edinburgh, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal, King Charles III, the Duke of Kent, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales, Prince George, the Princess of Wales, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte all stand on the balcony in formal dress while the King and Queen wave.

Four days of events to commemorate 80 years since Victory in Europe Day began with a military procession through London in front of huge crowds, proud veterans and three generations of royals.

PA Media An aerial view shows groups of military in formal attire marching down the Mall with Buckingham Palace in the background.

A military procession including Regiments of the Household Division and Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery paraded down the Mall from Parliament Square to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles saluted as the procession arrived at the Palace having made its way up the Union Jack-lined Mall.

Reuters The same moment, the King saluting, is shown from the other side - the King can be seen front-on as he salutes wearing formal attire surrounded by other members of the crowd sitting while military personnell march in the foreground.

He was joined by other royals as well as veterans, politicians and members of the public, who welcomed the military groups as they drew nearer the Palace.

Three generations of royals were on show, including the King, Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales and their family.

Political figures in attendance included London's Mayor Sadiq Khan and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria.

Getty Images The Princess of Wales laughs while wearing a plum-coloured dress and hat while sitting next to a veteran wearing military badges with bunting in front of them that says '80' on little red and blue flags

PA Media (L-R) Veteran Bernard Morgan, the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis and the Prince of Wales sit on the front row of benches of a crowd outside Buckingham Palace with bunting saying '80' at the front.

PA Media Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria, seek their seats. She is wearing a white dress and he wears a dark suit and red tie.

Earlier, the procession began its journey outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as the clock tower's famous bells rang out.

PA Media A low-down camera angle shows the military procession marching in Parliament Square outside Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament against a cloudy sky.

Meanwhile, actor Timothy Spall stood in front of Winston Churchill's statue in Parliament Square to recite part of the former wartime prime minister's original VE Day broadcast.

PA Media Actor Timothy Spall wears a suit and tie as he reads from an A4 booklet in front of the statue of Churchill in Parliament Square.

As he did so, the procession made its way around the corner and up the Mall.

PA Media Military members in bright red uniform, carrying gold sceptres and playing brass instruments, walk down the street.

PA Media Horseback military personnel wearing red uniforms and gold headwear march down the Mall.

PA Media Members of the procession carry flags of the Commonwealth nations while wearing brown uniforms and black hats, with their fists raised as they march in unison.

PA Media A narrow aerial view shows various groups of military parading down the Mall with the statue in front of Buckingham Palace in the foreground.

Outside of the high profile benches in front of Buckingham Palace, members of the public lined the Mall to watch the procession and take in the atmosphere.

Reuters A small girl wearing a pink jumper waves a Union Jack in her hand while on the shoulders of a member of the crowd lining the Mall, with other members of the public around them and green foliage in the background.

Reuters A small child wearing a bearskin hat and red uniform looks on as they sit on someone's shoulders with other members of the crowd next to them.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers joined the march, solemnly parading a Ukrainian flag and wearing military uniform.

PA Media Military personnel wearing camouflage uniforms walk through Parliament Square while carrying a blue and yellow Ukrainian flag with Big Ben in the background.

While over at the Tower of London, a display of almost 30,000 ceramic poppies made up the exhibition called The Tower Remembers, created by designer Tom Piper.

They were originally displayed as part of artist Paul Cummins's Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red installation at the Tower in 2014.