World War Two veteran Joy Trew has revealed what she and King Charles discussed as they sat together during VE Day (Victory in Europe Day) celebrations.
The Royal Family and the British political ruling class sat with veterans on The Mall for a flyover to kick off celebrations marking the momentous occasion’s 80th anniversary.
The monarch had the honour of sitting with Trew, 98, who carried out vital work as a code interceptor during the war.
She joined Andrew Pierce, Bev Turner and Tessa Dunlop on GB News to discuss her heroism and her experience of sitting with the King.
Joy Trew spoke about her experience of sitting with the King on GB News
GB NEWS / POOL
“I’ve had an incredible week - somebody said ‘have a pleasant time’, they had no idea”, she said.
“There were two seats empty next to me, I asked my daughter ‘who will sit there?’ It was the King!
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“He didn’t stop talking to me. He wanted to know about my family, what I did after I came out of the WAAF [Women Auxiliary Air Force], what I did in the WAAFs, how old I was.
“I told him my husband died quite early so I took up sponsored walking. I was raising money for the children in this country through the Children’s Society.
“I climbed Ben Nevis at 65. I walked the Great Wall of China at 73. I thought, ‘I’ve done my lot now’, so I moved to Spain.
“I thought ‘I’m too old to do these things anymore’, so I thought I’ll go to Spain. Time passed by and I had friends there, we played bowls.”
Joy Trew joined Tessa Dunlop, Bev Turner and Andrew Pierce on GB News
GB NEWS
Historian Tessa Dunlop went about explaining how meeting Trew was a remarkable stroke of luck.
“Joy is the greatest Joy. I thought she made the King look better! I was just finishing a book, all tied in with veterans”, she said.
“Each veteran was telling me how they remembered war and which monument worked for them. I then got this Instagram ping asking, ‘why isn’t my Nan in any of your books?’
“Then this video from Joy came up saying ‘everybody thought I was in the Girl Guides, but I was in the WAAF.’
Joy Trew spoke to GB News ahead of Thursday's VE Day
GB. NEWS
“It was only yesterday I was at a Bletchley Girl’s funeral, so this was a pearl on the beach but more importantly, how did Joy not know that the WAFF have a memorial and how did she not know that as a WAAF, intercepting codes, she was part of the Bletchley codebreaking nexus?
“She was in Spain having a knees-up. That’s how she didn’t know.”
Joy learned Morse Code at the age of 17 and put it to vital use in the war, something Dunlop said she had to be “absolutely dextrous” with.
“She was having rest on VE Day - she was absolutely kaput”, she added.
Joy Trew worked with the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force)
GB NEWS
Trew spoke to GB News ahead of Thursday’s VE Day, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
A commemorative poppy display has been insulated at the Tower of London which Queen Camilla has praised as “beautiful”.
Project lead Tom O’Leary guided the Queen through the artwork, saying afterwards: “She was very interested in it. She really liked the way that all the different heights comingulate.”
Poet laureate Simon Armitage then read In Retrospect, a poem commissioned to mark VE Day.
The Queen told him warmly: “Lovely. Lovely poem. Thank you very much,” before asking how long it had taken to write.
She met members of the Historic Royal Palaces and Tower teams who helped create the display, as well as D-Day veterans Henry Rice and Richard Aldred, who handed her a poppy to plant.
Camilla was also joined by Yeoman Warder Tracey Machin and her five-year-old son Harrison, who planted a poppy alongside the Queen.
Harrison said: “I did a poppy with the Queen. This is my poppy,” pointing to the ceramic flower he had planted.
Asked why the moment was important, he replied: “Because it’s really, really special.”
