King Charles leads Britain's VE day celebrations

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles and heir to the throne Prince William will lay wreaths in Westminster Abbey later on Thursday, the culmination of the country's four days of commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

The thanksgiving service in the Abbey will begin with a two-minute silence at 1100 GMT, which will also be observed across the country, to remember Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender, which took effect on May 8, 1945.

The anniversary, which comes at a time of ongoing conflict in Europe with Russia's war in Ukraine, was also marked with events in France and Germany, while Moscow will hold a major military parade on Friday.

Speaking at a defence conference in London on Thursday morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the day a celebration of defiance, sacrifice and courage.

"A victory not just for Britain but for good against the assembled forces of hatred, tyranny and evil," he said. 

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin talked of the "sacred" victory over Adolf Hitler, and said his country was standing against "neo-Nazism", a characterisation of the current conflict strongly rejected by Ukraine. 

Putin was holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is joining Russia's celebrations. 

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to lay a wreath at the statue of French wartime hero Charles de Gaulle in Paris and inspect a troop parade at the Arc de Triomphe. Dozens of World War Two-era vehicles will also parade down the Champs-Elysees avenue. 

In Berlin, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will address the Bundestag in a special remembrance session in the parliament.  

VE Day's 80th anniversary will be one of the last major celebrations with living veterans attending events, as most are now in their 90s or older. 

British veterans were due to be amongst the congregation at Westminster Abbey in London on Thursday. They will be greeted by Charles and his wife Queen Camilla after the service, before senior royals lay flowers at a memorial nearby. 

Veterans also attended a grand military parade and flypast close to Buckingham Palace on Monday, one of a series of anniversary events, in what has been a busy few days for Charles.

The monarch, 76, was last year diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer and is still undergoing treatment.

Later on Thursday there will be a concert at Horse Guards Parade for 10,000 people. Charles and Camilla will be in the audience to hear music and the stories of veterans. 

(Reporting by Sarah Young, additional reporting by Richard Lough in Paris; Editing by Sharon Singleton)