Royals join Battle of Britain day

A Spitfire and a Hurricane from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial FlightSpitfires and Hurricanes will form part of the Battle of Britain flypast

Senior members of the Royal Family will join RAF veterans for the annual commemoration of the Battle of Britain.

This year’s service at Westminster Abbey marks the 70th anniversary of the air campaign, which helped prevent a German invasion of Britain.

Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince William will attend the service before joining RAF veterans at a private reception.

There will then be a parade by serving members of the RAF, and a fly-past.

The Westminster Abbey service will be attended by veterans of the Battle of Britain and their families and members of the Ministry of Defence.

As well commemorating the achievements of those who fought in the 1940s, this year’s Battle of Britain service will celebrate the work of the men and women currently serving in the Royal Air Force.

The Prince of Wales is patron of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, and his son, Prince William, has just graduated as an RAF helicopter pilot.

Other commemorations for the 70th anniversary have been held this year, including on 20 August to mark the date when then Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke of the service personnel: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.

The Battle of Britain began on 10 July 1940 and ended on 31 October when, despite the German advantage, the Luftwaffe were pushed back by the determination and preparedness of the RAF.

More than 2,900 British, Commonwealth and Allied aircrew took part.

Over 23,000 civilians were killed during the World War II battle, the first major one to be fought entirely in the air.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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