The Prince and Princess of Wales's son, Prince George, made a surprise appearance at a Buckingham Palace tea party at the start of VE Day commemorations on Monday.
The young royal, 11, who was dressed smartly in a navy suit and a blue tie, was seen chatting to one of the veterans with his father, Prince William.
After watching the military procession from the dais on the Queen Victoria Memorial and then the flypast from the palace balcony, George joined his parents at the special reception, hosted by the King and Queen.
Around 50 veterans and people who lived through the Second World War – now supported by the Royal British Legion - were welcomed to the tea party to honour the bravery and service of the Second World War generation.
© GettyHELLO!'s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, says it's a significant moment for the Prince: "It was a lovely surprise to see Prince George joining the King and Queen and his parents for the veterans tea party at the Palace.
"It's a big moment for him as second-in-line to the throne and one he will remember for many years to come.
© PA Images via Getty Images"Both William and Catherine have spoken about their desire to teach their children about major moments in history, such the Holocaust, so this is another way for them to connect that wartime generation with their own next generation."
Curious George
The future King was engaged as he and his father chatted to Alfred, 101, who served during D-Day.
Alfred, originally from Cosham near Portsmouth, told William and George how he signed up to the Army aged 20, and joined the D-Day landings, bravely swimming into the Normandy beaches under heavy shell fire.
© GettyInquisitive George asked: "What was it like when you were coming in?", to which Alfred replied: "Pretty awful".
After talking to the father and son duo for a few minutes, Alfred turned to George and said: "You know, it's very important you are here today. It’s days like this that we should use to talk about things like this, so the younger generation can have some understanding."
Speaking to William, Alfred said: "You should be very proud."
© GettyThe two Princes then spoke to Dougie Hyde, 99, who joined the Merchant Navy in 1944, aged just 18.
He started out working as a 'fireman' stoking boilers and later, he joined a secret operation to liberate Europe, spending months going back and forth to the beaches deploying munitions and amphibious vehicles.
Showing an avid interest, George asked the former seaman: "Did you ever get shot at?" and "Did you ever see a U-boat?"
After their chat, Dougie said: "I was very impressed with the lad’s interest. I told him luckily I wasn’t ever shot at but we did lose one of our fleet in the Channel.
© Getty"He was very polite and listened with interest. Whenever I used to do talks to young kids, that's all you ever wanted, for them to listen and have a little understanding of those days.
"I think it's so important for us to remember and they put on a lovely spread."
The Royal British Legion (RBL) said it was "proud to put Second World War veterans at the heart of the commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day".
Future destiny
George, who will one day be King, carried out his first official engagement in the UK at the age of two when he joined his parents at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
© GettyThe youngster also travelled on William and Kate's tour of Australia and New Zealand when he was eight months old, in 2014, as well as Canada in 2016, and Germany and Poland in 2017.
© GettyThe Prince, who is currently in Year 7 at Lambrook Preparatory School, is set to move school in September 2026 for the next part of his secondary education.
© GettyContenders include his father's school, Eton College, and his mother's alma mater, Marlborough College, in Wiltshire.
