Queen to send message to Dame Vera Lynn’s family

The Queen is to send a private message of condolence to Dame Vera Lynn’s family.

Buckingham Palace said the monarch, who is staying at Windsor Castle, will write to express her sympathy after the Forces’ Sweetheart died at the age of 103.

The Queen echoed the singer’s famous Second World War anthem in her televised address on coronavirus in April, telling the nation: “We will meet again.”

The pair – who were born nine years apart – met on many occasions through the decades and shared a bond due to their wartime experiences.

Dame Vera spent time with the teenage Princess Elizabeth and her family in 1945 at Windsor Castle, where the princess stayed for her safety during the Second World War, just as she has done in lockdown.

The singer and the royals celebrated the impending German surrender together, weeks ahead of the official announcement of peace.

At a party in the castle, she joined other entertainers and the Windsors “for a sort of private victory celebration”.

Dame Vera later recalled: “There was Tommy Trinder and one or two other artists, the King and Queen and two princesses were there, and it was just sort of a private little party.

“So of course I wasn’t surprised when peace was declared; we had already had a pre-warning, as it were, that it was finishing.”