King Charles and the Prince of Wales joined world leaders and veterans at a series of events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
Both royals gave speeches in France on Thursday, praising the “courage and sacrifice” of those who “served at that critical time.”
The King laid a wreath at the British Memorial in Normandy at Ver-sur-Mer, near Gold Beach, and accompanied it with a note describing the sacrifices made on D-Day.
Later in the day, Prince William joined the heads of state on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer for the final event of the two-day celebrations.
- author, Robert Plummer
- Role, BBC News
In a speech at the British War Memorial in France, the king said the lesson to be learned was that free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny.
“Our commitment to remembering them, what they stood for, and what they achieved for all of us, can never diminish,” the King told the delegation at a somber and moving memorial service.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labor leader Keir Starmer attended the same ceremony as the King, in what may be one of the few remaining annual events veterans will attend on D-Day.
On June 6, 1944, tens of thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches in Normandy, northern France.
The landings marked the beginning of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied northwest Europe.
Five years ago, 225 British war veterans traveled to Normandy to commemorate. This year, there were 23 people, including some centenarians.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Germany on May 30 after suffering a medical emergency on a ship bound for Europe. He died the next day at the age of 102.
Thursday’s commemorations began early in the day with a military flute at Gold Beach in Arromanche, which played a lament at sea at 07:26, marking the exact moment the invasion began.
This heralded a series of reenactments, military flyovers and memorial services at several locations.
Also among those attending Thursday’s events were US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – leaders of the other major powers involved in the landings.
Prince William was present at the Canadian Memorial Service in Juno Beach, where he thanked Canadian veterans for their “extraordinary acts of bravery and sacrifice.”
“We continue to honor every Canadian who has given so much, and every Canadian family who has lost a loved one,” he said.
He ended his speech by saying in French: “Thank you for our freedom, and thank you for your service.”
Trudeau also praised, saying, “We must all continue to stand up for democracy day in and day out, and we owe it to future generations.”
Prince William sat alongside world leaders at the final commemoration event, the International Commemorative Ceremony held on Omaha Beach.
William spoke with President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the event.
Mr. Sunak did not attend the Omaha Beach party, but British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Mr. Starmer were present.
During the event, President Biden said that what happened 80 years ago in Normandy did not absolve modern generations from doing what needs to be done today.
“Democracy is never guaranteed,” he said. He added that it must be preserved and fought for.
He described the conflict as part of a never-ending struggle between dictatorship and freedom.
“Heroes in the shadows”
At the Gold Beach ceremony, President Macron honored the courage and sacrifices of those who fought.
He said, “France will never forget the British forces that landed on D-Day and all their comrades-in-arms.”
“This faith in freedom which you have never lost, this constant selflessness and devotion guides us and acts as a duty to us.”
Macron awarded Légion d’Honneur medals to veterans including Christian Lamb, now 103, who spent the war as an officer in the Women’s Royal Naval Service.
The French president told her: “You were one of the heroes in the shadows.”
Other veterans in attendance included 99-year-old Joe Maines, who landed on Gold Beach 80 years ago.
In words read by actor Martin Freeman, Maines said he had returned “to show my respect to those who didn’t make it.”
Roy Hayward, now 99, took part in the landings as a soldier with Sherwood Rangers and was badly wounded in the attack.
He told the BBC: “The tank was hit and I was severely damaged. They had to amputate my leg below the knee.” “I always consider myself one of the lucky ones who survived, because many of us did not.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also participated in the honoring day. No Russian officials were invited.
Image source, Getty Images
Meanwhile, American actor Tom Hanks and film director Steven Spielberg took part in the commemoration in Normandy.
Their 1998 film Saving Private Ryan depicts the American landing on Omaha Beach in the famous opening battle scene.
The film will be shown in about 300 French cinemas on Thursday, on the occasion of Victory Day.
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