The King and Queen were joined by Prince William and Prime Minister Keir Starmer

King Charles and a 105-year-old Second World War veteran shared a hug during a veterans’ reception at Windsor Castle.

Yanvar Abbas, who served as a combat cameraman in the British Army during the conflict, had already met Charles and Queen Camilla at a service of remembrance in Staffordshire earlier this year.

 

He gave a surprise address to Charles and Camilla, thanking them for attending the VJ Day event despite the ongoing cancer treatment for the King, and it appeared to move the couple to tears.

Charles and Mr Abbas shared a few words before hugging, afterwards he said: “I told him, ‘We can’t go on meeting like this.’”

Yanvar Abbas, King Charles

An impromptu speech from Yanvar Abbas brought King Charles and Queen Camilla to tears

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“I was very much looking forward to meeting him again.

“I have a lot of respect for His Majesty, not just as a monarch, but as a human being.

“It’s wonderful to meet him and to know that he is improving, because I had cancer and I got rid of it,” Mr Abbas said. “I’ve been rid of it for 15 years now.”

Mr Abbas is originally from Lucknow in India, and was commissioned into the British Army in India in 1942 as a second lieutenant in the 11th Sikh Regiment.

He went on to train as a combat cameraman and began documenting the war and its effects, from battles in Burma to occupied Japan, including Hiroshima.

The 105-year-old became a filmmaker after his time in the Army, and paid tribute to the journalists killed in Gaza during the conflict with Israel.

King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William

Charles and Camilla were joined by Prince William to celebrate veterans at Windsor Castle

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“Whatever I did, it’s insignificant when I see what the men and women of Gaza have done for more than two years,” he said.

He continued: “They have been recording the genocide that has been visited upon them.”

The veteran was then asked what message he wanted to pass down to younger generations, to which he replied: “I am angry with the world and I am ashamed.

“I thought I fought a war to have a better world and I find that I am in a worse world than I was in at the time.”

“We are glorifying war,” he added. “At the drop of a hat, we begin a war.”

King Charles was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early last year and is continuing a regular treatment programme, which is believed to be weekly treatment sessions.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch were also in attendance for the commemorative event.

The reception continued the commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, which on August 15 marked the anniversary of the end of Second World War.

Keir Starmer

Prime Minsiter Keir Starmer was also in attendance at the event

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Much of the celebration in 1945 focused on VE (Victory in Europe) Day in May, with those who served in the Far East being called The Forgotten Army.

Attendees were able to view displays by the Royal British Legion and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission commemorating VE and VJ Day.

Before leaving the reception, Charles held the Commonwealth War Graves’ Torch for Peace, which was commissioned this year to symbolise future peace and honour the memory of all those who died in the world wars.