The Queen will address the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, on a day of thanksgiving culminating in a national singalong of We’ll Meet Again.

Celebrations will take place in gardens, on doorsteps and in living rooms, rather than the street parties and parades envisaged before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I know the nation will come together to mark this historic occasion,” said the culture secretary, Oliver Dowden. “In these difficult times, acts of remembrance are even more poignant and I am sure that millions will want to join me to remember and give thanks to those who gave so much to secure peace, freedom and prosperity in Europe.”

The Queen’s pre-recorded message will be broadcast on BBC One at 9pm on VE Day, 8 May, the same hour as her father, King George VI, made his radio address marking victory in Europe after what he called “nearly six years of suffering and peril”.

Speaking from a bomb-scarred Buckingham Palace, in a London that was “war-battered but never for one moment daunted or dismayed”, he gave thanks in his broadcast on 8 May 1945 for “a great deliverance”.

Seventy-five years on, Prince Charles will read an extract from a diary entry by his grandfather describing the day’s events, including the royal family’s Buckingham Palace balcony appearances. Later that day the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, danced unnoticed among the cheering throngs on London’s streets, in what the monarch later described as one of the best nights of her life.

The monarch’s message will be followed by the national singalong of We’ll Meet Again, made famous by Dame Vera Lynn, now 103. The public will be encouraged to open their doors and join in.

The BBC’s broadcast of VE Day 75: The People’s Celebration will feature stars such as Katherine Jenkins, Adrian Lester and Anton du Beke, and renditions of songs from the 1930s and 40s. There will also be interviews with people reminiscing about the day.

With the “golden generation” in lockdown, the BBC said: “We want to let them know that we have not forgotten the peace that they won for us, that we are thinking of them and that they are not alone, as well as cheering up the rest of the nation along the way.”

Official commemorations will begin at 11am with a national moment of remembrance and two minutes’ silence. The archbishop of Canterbury will record a special reflection and moment of prayer. Winston Churchill’s address to the nation announcing Germany’s surrender will be broadcast on the BBC at 2.45pm.

Though traditional street parties are cancelled, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is encouraging people to get into the spirit of the day and has produced a special template pack so the public can hold a 1940s-style afternoon tea party at home, complete with bunting, recipes, games and other educational and creative activities.

Members of the royal family will take part in a series of video calls with veterans of the second world war and those who served on the home front.

“With members of the public unable to attend VE Day 75 events, we are calling on people across the UK to mark the anniversary from home and take part in these national moments of remembrance and thanksgiving,” said Bob Gamble, of the Royal British Legion.

“There is no right or wrong way to take part in the silence at 11am: some people may wish to stand at their windows or step outside their front door, but we hope that individuals and families across the UK will embrace the opportunity to share in a national moment of reflection.”

The three national military service museums, (navy, army and air force) are hosting a virtual VE Day 75 festival online from 7-9 May and are encouraging people to decorate their homes and join in with a “make do and mend” session.