The Duchess of Edinburgh marked the upcoming 80th anniversary of VJ Day with her latest royal outing
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh meets Royal Marines veteran James Wren at Sarum Manor Care Home in Salisbury, England on Aug. 12, 2025.
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh knew just what to say to a 105-year-old veteran who surprised the group with his candid answer to her question about his military service.
On Aug. 12, Prince Edward’s wife visited James “Jim” Wren, a 105-year-old veteran of the Royal Marines, at his care home in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Sophie, 60, made the stop as patron of The Java Far East Prisoner of War Club 1942 in an outing timed to the upcoming 80th anniversary of VJ Day on Aug. 15. VJ Day is shorthand for Victory over Japan Day, commemorating the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II in 1945.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh meets James Wren on Aug. 12, 2025.Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty
“Nothing attracted me to the Navy, I didn’t want in the Navy,” Wren said, which made everyone laugh.
“Fair enough!” Sophie said in response.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh meets James Wren on Aug. 12, 2025.Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty
According to the Royal Marines Charity, Wren was 19 when he first tried to enlist and found a home with the Royal Marines through his uncle.
Keeping the conversation going, Sophie asked, “Did you find that you adapted to the water quite well?”
“Oh yes, I did,” said Wren.
The Duchess of Edinburgh met with the veteran and his family over a cup of tea to hear about his experiences in the war and his personal story. He was just one of a few survivors of the sinking of the HMS Repulse and was held as a prisoner of war until the end of World War II.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh meets James Wren on Aug. 12, 2025.Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty
In 2021, it was reported that the future King Charles commissioned a portrait of Wren to be hung at Buckingham Palace in London.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, James Wren and members of his family on Aug. 12, 2025.Aaron Chown-WPA Pool/Getty
Sophie’s meeting with Wren is the first in a series of engagements that several members of the royal family are undertaking to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on Aug. 15.
The palace previously announced that King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend a Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum, while Sophie and Prince Edward appear at a service at the Scottish National War Memorial, Edinburgh Castle, remembering the end of WWII around the world.
