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A RECORD 31.1million people joined the VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations earlier this month.

Almost half the country took part in some way, by attending street parties, parades or by observing the two-minute silence.

Street party celebrating VE Day in Preston, England.
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A record 31.1million people joined the VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations earlier this monthCredit: Getty
A 100-year-old World War II veteran is kissed on each cheek by two women in military-style uniforms while holding a Union Jack flag.
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Veteran George Durrant, 100, who received the Burma Star, proudly waves his flag as he receives kissesCredit: Getty
An elderly couple, both RAF veterans, share a kiss on the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
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RAF veterans Kathleen Lawrence, 101, and husband Roy Lawrence, 100, at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in StaffordshireCredit: Getty
A reporter interviews a veteran in a wheelchair at a VE Day anniversary event.
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The Sun's Mike Ridley interviews veteran Bernard Morgan, 100Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun
Veteran Jim Bowes dancing with a staff member at a VE Day tea party.
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Jim Bowes dances with a member of staff at Erskine Veterans Home in Bishopton, ScotlandCredit: Getty

It smashed the record set by the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022, when 16.8million people took part.

Brendan Cox, whose Together Coalition helped promote the commemoration, said: “The historic levels of participation tell us there is a desire to connect with our shared history and to celebrate shared values together.

“At a time when our politics is more fragmented than ever, it’s all the more welcome our country is still able to come together to celebrate what we have in common.”

The events marked eight decades since the end of World War Two in Europe on May 8, 1945.

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A military parade past Buckingham Palace was watched by the Royal Family and veterans.

Thousands of street parties were also set up across Britain.

A service was held in Westminster Abbey and 10,000 people joined the King and Queen at a pop concert on Horse Guards Parade.

VE Day was a ‘jolly’ moment but work went on, 100-year-old former Wren says
King Charles III and a veteran at a VE Day concert.
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King Charles with veteran Harry Richardson, 107, during the anniversaryCredit: AFP
Prince George and Princess Catherine with a World War II veteran at a Buckingham Palace tea party.
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Prince George and Kate meet veterans at a tea party in Buckingham PalaceCredit: PA
Group of World War II veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum.
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Veterans pose for a picture at the National Memorial ArboretumCredit: Getty
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