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King Charles III will join veterans for the 80th anniversary of D-Day in the UK and France today and tomorrow amid his ongoing cancer treatment.
Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales will also attend the commemorative events, beginning in Portsmouth today.
The King said his grandfather was keen to visit troops on D-Day, in a special clip that will be part of a BBC film to be broadcast today.
Reading aloud from his grandfather’s wartime diary, he says: “My grandfather was so determined to go. He got very frustrated because they wouldn’t let him go until several days later.”
Over the course of two days, Charles will join prime minister Rishi Sunak, a slew of other dignitaries, and—most importantly—those who fought on the beaches in 1944 will come together to remember the battle that became the turning point towards an Allied victory.
Prince William is set to attend events in Normandy including a service hosted by Canada at Juno Beach and an international ceremony hosted by France at Omaha Beach which will be attended by more than 25 heads of state.
The Princess Royal will also take part as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regina Rifles. Joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will unveil a statute of a rifleman from the regiment and later attend a reception with former soldiers.
‘Mankind had lost its way’: WWII veterans reflect on 80th anniversary of D-Day
Dozens of World War II veterans from the US were welcomed by cheering crowds as they arrived in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Many of the veterans are close to 100 years old. They shared mixed emotions upon arriving in the place where more than 150,000 allied troops drove out Nazi Germany forces on 6 June 1944. Over 2,000 US soldiers died that day. “I’m glad I survived it and I’m glad we won the war,” one veteran told journalists. “It was a period in which I felt that mankind had lost its way,” another said.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain5 June 2024 08:18
D-Day events today
Dame Helen Mirren will host the commemorations in Portsmouth on June 5, and military musicians and special guests will lead the ceremony.
The morning will culminate in a flypast by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.
The Prime Minister will then deliver a reading to the crowds and meet with veterans to hear their D-Day stories to mark the occasion.
In the afternoon, tributes will move to the beaches of Normandy, where hundreds of allied defence personnel will parachute into a historic D-Day drop zone to commemorate the airborne invasion of 80 years ago.
The Royal British Legion will host a commemoration service at Bayeux War Cemetery before the Ministry of Defence and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission host a joint UK-France thanksgiving service at Bayeux Cathedral.
On Wednesday night, as the sun sets, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Bayeux War Cemetery will light up in honour of those who fought on the beaches. The light show will be streamed live on the BBC so all can witness the occasion.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain5 June 2024 08:02
King, Queen and Prince of Wales join veterans at D-Day event in Portsmouth
The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will join veterans at a commemorative event in Portsmouth as major events begin in the UK and France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with the 1944 battle laying the foundation for an Allied victory.
Troops from the UK, the USA, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the beaches at Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain5 June 2024 08:01
King Charles and royal family to join veterans for D-day celebrations
Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales will also attend the commemorative events, beginning in Portsmouth today.
The King said his grandfather was keen to visit troops on D-Day, in a special clip that will be part of a BBC film to be broadcast today.
Reading aloud from his grandfather’s wartime diary, he says: “My grandfather was so determined to go. He got very frustrated because they wouldn’t let him go until several days later.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain5 June 2024 08:01
