Message from His Majesty the King

Today this message from His Majesty was read to islanders by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd.

9th May, 2025

MESSAGE FOR THE LIBERATION 80 PARADE IN JERSEY

On the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the Island’s liberation from enemy occupation, I send you all my warmest greetings.

The Queen and I have particularly fond memories of Liberation Square where you all gather today, despite the most astonishing downpour during our all-too-brief visit to Jersey last year. It is also the place I visited in 1995 to unveil the Liberation Sculpture, on behalf of my late mother, on the fiftieth anniversary of freeing the Island from German occupation. That monument remains not only a poignant reminder of the trials and hardships the people of Jersey endured during the Second World War, but also of the jubilation they felt when, finally, this came to an end on 9th May 1945.

As you come together today to commemorate this very special event and to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy today, we also remember those who remained, those who were deported or evacuated from the Island and those Jersey people who left to serve in the Armed Forces. Each and every one of them played a part in making Jersey the unique and memorable place it is today.

Our thoughts are with you on this most significant day and I pray that the blessing of Almighty God will be with the people of Jersey now and in the years to come.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

CHARLES R.