LEST WE FORGET
Charles says we ‘must stand together to oppose tyranny’ in second powerful D-Day speech as he joins heroes in Normandy
World leaders joined royalty and Hollywood stars in honouring heroes at touching memorial
KING Charles made his second powerful D-Day speech today as he joined its heroes for an emotional 80th anniversary.
Charles, 75, praised D-Day veterans at the UK's commemoration event in Ver-sur-Mer, France, saying we "must stand together to oppose tyranny".
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He added: "It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all who served at that critical time."
Some veterans were helped from their wheelchairs to stand when the King and Queen Camilla arrived.
Key moments from D-Day anniversary services:
- Charles and Camilla arrived at the British Normandy Memorial
- The Queen was seen wiping a tear from her eye
- Charles was joined by world leaders as he delivered a speech
- Emmanuel Macron took his seat next to the King
- Prince William laid a wreath and honoured 14,000 Canadians
- He was joined by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- In a speech, Wills praised those who ran into the 'fury of battle'
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Charles was seen nodding and smiling at the veterans as he passed.
He told one veteran he is "doing well" after being asked about his health.
They were greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty and Lord Peter Ricketts.
The Queen was seen wiping her eye as the memories of a D-Day veteran were read out.
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The audience in Ver-sur-Mer heard the experiences of Joe Mines, 99, from Hornchurch in London.
Camilla dabbed her eye before smiling with the King as Mr Mines waved his arms in the air.
French President Emmanuel Macron took his seat next to the King and was seen smiling as he talked to Charles for several minutes.
The Prince of Wales also arrived for the Canadian commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer.
British paratroopers met by French customs as they jump into Normandy for 80th anniversary
William was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French prime minister Gabriel Attal, who shook the prince's hand before they walked towards their seats.
Normandy fell silent in solemn scenes this morning as a lone piper played at the exact moment of the beach landings 80 years ago.
The lament of a military piper rang out on Gold Beach in Arromanches to mark the anniversary of the D-Day beach invasions.
Major Trevor Macey-Lillie stood tall as he paid tribute to fallen veterans.
He was playing for those who led the biggest seaborne invasion in military history - and performed Highland Laddie as he came ashore.
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The sun was shining as attendees began taking their seats and dozens of coaches and buses lined the surrounding roads.
The British Normandy Memorial is where the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day are etched.
The Prime Minister arrived with his wife Akshata Murty at the Memorial Entrance.
He addressed an audience gathered to mark the 80th anniversary of the invasion later in the morning.
The PM said: "Each of you who contributed that day - sailor, soldier, aviator, civilian - whether you fought on the beaches, or parachuted from the skies, or flew fighters or gliders, whether you were an engineer or a radio operator or an intelligence officer, your actions freed a continent and built a better world.
The King's D-Day 80th anniversary speech in full
THE King has delivered a speech at the UK's commemorative event in Normandy for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Here is Charles's speech in full:
"Monsieur le President, nous vous sommes reconnaissants de nous honorer de votre presence ici aujourd'hui, au memorial Britannique de Normandie.
"Eighty years ago, on D-Day, 6th June 1944, our nation and those which stood alongside us faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.
"How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women in the United Kingdom and other Allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face that test.
"On the beaches of Normandy, in the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our armed forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination: qualities so characteristic of that remarkable wartime generation. Very many of them never came home.
"They lost their lives on the D-Day landing grounds or in the many battles that followed.
"It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them, and all those who served at that critical time.
"We recall the lesson that comes to us, again and again, across the decades: free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny.
"As the years pass, the veterans of the Normandy campaign become ever-fewer in number.
"Over the past forty years I have had the great privilege of attending seven D-Day commemorations in Normandy and meeting so many distinguished veterans.
"Indeed, I shall never forget the haunting sights and sounds of thousands of be-medalled figures proudly marching past into a French sunset on these beaches.
"Our ability to learn from their stories at first hand diminishes. But our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all, can never diminish.
"That is why I am so proud that we have a permanent National Memorial in Normandy, by which to remember the more than 22,000 service personnel in British units who gave their lives during the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy.
"It was built at the suggestion of a veteran, George Batts. He is sadly no longer with us, but lived to see it built and explained on the day it was opened why it means so much: "We left a lot of mates behind and now I know they will never be forgotten."
"So, for the first time today, we can come together at Gold Beach, the objective of the 50th Infantry Division, to honour those who fought on this ground eighty years ago, and who continued for three months of the war's fiercest fighting to secure Normandy.
(Delivered in French)
"Ce memorial rend egalement un hommage particulier a la plus grande tragedie du debarquement : le nombre inimaginable de civils francais qui sont morts dans cette bataille commune pour la liberte, alors que les Allies se battaient dans le nord-ouest de la France pour s'assurer une victoire finale.
"Nous ne manquerons jamais de rendre hommage au courage et au sacrifice incroyables des hommes et des femmes de la Resistance francaise, ainsi qu'aux nombreux civils qui fournirent des renseignements essentiels, saboterent les approvisionnements et les communications, et tendirent de cruciales embuscades.
"La chaleur, et la generosite, de l'accueil reserve aux veterans du debarquement par les Normands constituent l'aspect le plus emouvant et le plus memorable de ces commemorations.
(Translated into English)
"This memorial stands also as a special homage to the greatest tragedy of D-Day: the unimaginable numbers of French civilians who died in this joint battle, for freedom, as the Allies sealed off north-west France to ensure a final victory.
"We must never fail to pay tribute to the unbelievable courage and sacrifice of the men and women of the French Resistance, and many ordinary people, who provided vital intelligence, cut off supplies and communications, and laid critical ambushes.
"The warmth and the generosity of the welcome which the people of Normandy have shown to the veterans of D-Day is the most moving and memorable part of these anniversaries.
(Translation ends)
"This vital start to the liberation of Europe was a vast Allied effort. American, British, Canadian, French and Polish formations fought here in Normandy. Among the names inscribed on the walls and pillars of this memorial are men and women from more than thirty different nations and many faiths.
"United, they fought together for what my grandfather, King George VI, described as "a world in which goodness and honour may be the foundation of the life of men in every land".
"As we stand alongside their remaining friends and comrades on this hallowed ground, let us affirm that we will strive to live by their example, let us pray such sacrifice need never be made again, and let us commit to carrying forward their resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom, tempered by the duty of responsibilities to others, for the benefit of younger generations and those yet unborn.
"Our gratitude is unfailing and our admiration eternal."
"You risked everything and we owe you everything.
"We cannot possibly hope to repay that debt but we can and we must pledge never to forget.
He said veterans had "taught generations of young people about the horrors of war".
He added: "Yet with each passing year, it falls now to those of us who listened in awe to your stories to pass them on to our own children and grandchildren.
"Because only by remembering can we make certain that the cause you fought for, that so many of your friends and colleagues died for, that great cause of freedom, peace and democracy, will never be taken for granted."
Mr Sunak shook hands with Defence Secretary Grant Shapps as he walked along a receiving line of military officials.
Sir Keir Starmer could be seen speaking with Mr Shapps ahead of the UK National Commemorative Event.
The Labour leader and Defence Secretary were situated under a marquee where veterans watched proceedings.
Mr Shapps and Jason Coward, national chairman of the Royal British Legion, said "we must always remember how much we owe" the D-Day generation.
80 years on
By Mike Ridley at Ver Sur Mer
EIGHTY years after British troops stormed up Gold Beach in a hail of fire the King told the few remains veterans of D-Day: "Our gratitude is unfailing our admiration eternal."
No one could fail to be moved as the 41 veterans fit enough to make the journey to Normandy were given a seven minute standing ovation.
The sight of 100 year old Bernard Morgan being wheeled in his chair by the Prime Minister brought to my eyes.
I have interviewed former RAF Sergeant Bernard several times over the years.
As our chats end I also tell him the nation is grateful. He always plays it down.
But as Rishi Sunak pushed him along behind the King and Queen at last he knows how much we owe his generation - the greatest generation.
In a joint statement in the Order of Service for the UK national commemorative event, they said it is "crucial" to remember the service and sacrifices of those who fought.
The foreword went on: "Their labours and determination helped to change the course of history and earn the freedoms that we know today. This is their legacy, which we honour today.
"We must always remember how much we owe this extraordinary generation, and today we offer our profound thanks."
Schoolchildren presented veterans with white roses while cadets waved flags.
At the same time, an RAF band performed a marching display while Dakota military transport aircraft, widely used by the Allies during the Second World War, flew overhead.
After attending the national commemorative event, Charles and Camilla visited a marquee where veterans had tea and cakes.
On one table, the King sat beside Ronald Hendrey, 98, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, who asked him about his health.
Mr Hendrey said: "He was very nice, he listened to what I was saying and took it in.
"I asked him how he was doing, he told me he is doing well."
He said he was moved at the number of people who attended the event.
King Charles also opened the new Winston Churchill Education and Learning Centre.
Only a handful left alive
By Jerome Starkey, Defence Editor on Gold Beach
IT is only by standing on Normandy's beaches that I began to understand the scale of what happened here 80 years ago.
Both in terms of human sacrifice – the number of people slaughtered on both sides.
And in terms of significance.
It was here, on the blood-soaked sands of Normandy, that our forebears began the liberation of Europe.
They leapt into the water and charged past dead and dying comrades so that we could enjoy the freedoms we often take for granted.
The D-Day pilgrims around me today understand that sacrifice.
Some of them are serving soldiers. Some of them are veterans. Some have family connections while some have none.
They have come to pay homage and remember.
The largest group are the locals – the French –who applauded the Parachute Regiment yesterday and called out "Thank yous" as soldiers after jumping into Sannerville.
One of them asked me with genuine concern if people in Britain knew about D-Day as keenly as they do here.
They crowded onto Pegasus Bridge in their thousands, last night, to honour the airborne troops who dropped in ours before the D-Day landings and freed the very first house in France.
There is a large group of military enthusiasts dressed up in World War Two style uniforms with fleets of vintage jeeps and armoured fighting vehicles, all lovingly restored.
They give the events a festival feel.
The smallest group are the veterans. There are only a handful left alive.
And that gives this 80th anniversary a sense of added poignancy and a sense of urgency.
Those that understand the horror of what happened here want that lesson to be passed on to a younger generation.
They hope it might help us and our children avoid the madness of 80 years ago from happening all over again.
It comes after King Charles yesterday made his first speech since his cancer diagnosis.
The Monarch told D-Day heroes and their families that the nation was "eternally in their debt".
Both Charles and Queen Camilla appeared emotional as the last surviving veterans shared their moving stories.
Camilla's eyes welled up as Navy veteran Eric Bateman recalled fearlessly landing on the beaches of northern France.
The King spoke after Prince William, who looked solemn as he told the last surviving veterans how honoured he was to stand beside them.
Charles gave a moving speech with Camilla at his side, telling veterans and their families: "We are all eternally in their debt."
The King, who proudly wore medals on his chest, said: "The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity which you have heard today and throughout our lives cannot fail to move us, to inspire us and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation, now tragically dwindling to so few."
Charles said it was our privilege to hear the stories, continuing: "It is our duty to ensure that we and future generations do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom."
Wills stood not far from some of the country's last surviving veterans as they looked back on the campaign that opened the path to peace and freedom in Europe.
He also took to the stage, saying how "deeply honoured" he was to be joining them.
The prince told the crowds: "Our guests of honour today are those veterans from the Normandy landing, that came from across our nation and from all walks of life to join in the fight against tyranny.
"Many of those that took up arms had never seen combat before, some were still only in their teens."
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The prince then read out moving letters from diaries of war heroes, before adding: "We will always remember those who served and those who waved them off.
"The mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who watched their loved ones go into battle, unsure if they would ever return.
"Today we remember the bravery of those who crossed this sea to liberate Europe. Those who ensured that Operation Overlord was a success.
"And those who waited for their safe return."
The day prior a D-Day hero showed the King the dog tags he wore round his neck — still showing traces of blood from where he was shot.
Arthur Oborne, of the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, was among veterans meeting Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace.
Wills tells heroes Kate 'would love to be here'
By Matt Wilkinson & Jane Matthews
PRINCE William offered an update on Princess Kate's health as he chatted warmly to veterans after yesterday's D-Day commemorations.
The Heir joined his father, Queen Camilla and other leaders alongside war heroes in a moving anniversary event in Portsmouth.
King Charles and William both took to the stage to pay tribute to the veterans and their families.
Afterwards, William revealed Kate was feeling "better", adding: "She would've loved to be here today."
In a sweet clip that showed Prince William bending down to chat with a 95-year-old veteran he was asked: "I was going to ask you is your wife getting any better?"
William revealed she was well, before adding: "I was reminding everyone her grandmother used to work at Bletchley Park.
"She had a lot in common with some of the ladies here who never spoke about anything until the very end."
William spoke to a Bletchley Park codebreaker about Princess Kate's grandma Valerie, who also helped to break the Enigma code.
He said: "My wife's grandmother did the same sort of thing as you. Catherine only found out at the end of her life."
The Prince spoke to other veterans, too - thanking them for their service and telling them how special it had been.
He said: "I found it very moving, all the stories and letters, even now 80 years later."
When one hero said "thank you", the Prince of Wales replied: "No, we are here to thank you."
William said: "We are here to say a big thank you and to all your colleagues and friends who didn’t make it back."
He told them: "The dog tags were recovered after I got a bullet through the lung and there is some blood still on them."
Arthur, 100, revealed he was rescued by a friend and added: "As a family we will never forget it.
"We found he was killed the day after."
Fellow centenarian Bernard Morgan, of the Royal Air Force, showed off a pair of football boots he carried throughout the war.
He said: "I played 12 games including one on the landing craft going to Normandy.
"There was Army personnel on there.
"So we decided to have a football match, the Army versus RAF. I think it was a draw."
The King laughed: "Oh really, how fantastic."
John Dennett, 99, of the Royal Navy, recalled how he missed a bus back to the ship the night before because he was out dancing.
But he added of the fighting: "The lads we lost — it was colossal, it's frightening.
"That's when you feel grateful. I class myself as being very lucky."
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Jim Miller, 100, of the 11th Hussars, told the King and Queen: "Remembrance is so important.
"The younger generation must learn about it and take it to heart."
D-Day veterans brim with pride and emotion
By Mike Ridley
EIGHTY years after they first sailed to Normandy to liberate France a tiny band of brothers returned on Tuesday.
Former RAF Sergeant Bernard Morgan and Jeep driver Jack Mortimer, both 100, were among 23 D-Day veterans who sailed from Portsmouth yesterday.
As the 8am ferry sailed out into the Solent sailors lined the decks of aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to cheer on the last of the D-Day heroes.
Crowds flocked to the sea front and traffic came to halt as the Type 23 frigate St Albans and HMS Cattistock escorted the veterans travelling to France to mark the 80th anniversary of the battle for Nomandy when 22,442 Brits died.
Overhead a giant RAF A400 aircraft flew three times around the ship.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Jack, from Leeds, drove a jeep on to Sword Beach as a 20-year-old serving with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
He fought back tears as he recalled shells and mortars flying over him as he drove towards Caen.
He says: "It was dangerous, there were snipers all around. It was noisy, smoky, smelly and I saw lots of casualties. I saw bodies being brought off that beach.
"But I'm proud of being a D-Day veteran. I'm proud of my medals.
"How does it feel to be going back 80 years later?
He fought back tears as he recalled shells and mortars flying over him as he drove towards Caen.
He says: "It was dangerous, there were snipers all around. It was noisy, smoky, smelly and I saw lots of casualties. I saw bodies being brought off that beach.
"But I'm proud of being a D-Day veteran. I'm proud of my medals.
"How does it feel to be going back 80 years later?"
He finally reached the shore at 6.30pm on D-Day – the worst of the fighting was over but dead bodies lay everywhere.
He says: "Gold Beach was one of the better landing points on D-Day, but I can still vividly remember seeing dead bodies scattered all over the beach as I came ashore and that is a sight that will stay with me forever."
Bernard will remember three pals he lost in the battle for Normandy - wireless operator John Baines, killed by friendly fire, plus Robert Hall and Paul Langstaff who died in an air attack on their truck.
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