Leaders across Europe are marking the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, generally known as VE Day with low-key ceremonies, as much of the continent remains under coronavirus lockdown.
A two-minute silence to honour the war dead will be held in the UK, followed by an address from the Queen.
Small ceremonies are also being held by the leaders of France and Germany, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel.
Other events are also being held to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany, but large gatherings remain forbidden.
The VE Day anniversary was to have been a colourful public tribute to the war veterans who liberated Europe from Nazism, but those veterans are now confined indoors by the coronavirus lockdown.
Victory in Europe Day, VE Day, was when on 8 May 1945 Britain and its Allies formally accepted Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender after almost six years of war.
But that date was not the end of World War Two, as imperial Japan was not defeated by the Allies until August 1945.
