King, Queen and Prince of Wales join veterans to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
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.
Allied troops departed from Portsmouth on June 5, so the UK and French governments will host memorial events at both ports to commemorate the D-Day landings.
Over the course of two days, the King, 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.
Some veterans will attend two days of remembrance events in Portsmouth to mark the historic milestone. As of Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defence was hosting a major commemorative event on Southsea Common.
However, the proceedings have already begun for dozens of other Second World War veterans.
On Tuesday, a slew of former D-Day soldiers boarded a ferry to make the journey from Portsmouth to Normandy once again, retracing their steps 80 years ago.
Therefore, D-Day veterans, politicians, the royals, and the general public will commemorate the historic battle at the very ports traversed by Allied soldiers in 1944.
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.
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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.
On Thursday – the 80th anniversary of D-Day – commemorations will begin in Normandy at 7.25am, the same time the beach invasion began in 1944.
A military piper will land on the beaches of Arromanches-les-Bains in a Royal Marines landing craft and begin playing a lament in tribute to those who led the beach landings.
The official British commemoration for the 80th anniversary of D-Day will take place at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, where the King will join French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Sunak.
The Prince of Wales will 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 UK’s Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron will also attend the Portsmouth and Normandy commemorations.
The Prime Minister will deliver a short speech at Ver-sur-Mer and lead a “heroes’ welcome” for the veterans.
