Veterans, royals and a packed Mall: VE Day at 80 in pictures

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.