Life ‘Never give up, never despair’: Queen Elizabeth II’s speech recalls royal father, WWII victory in 1945 May 8, 2020 Maria Puente, USA TODAY Comments Off on ‘Never give up, never despair’: Queen Elizabeth II’s speech recalls royal father, WWII victory in 1945 Britons marked the 75th anniversary of WWII victory with a speech by Queen Elizabeth II, the only British leader left who was there on May 8, 1945.