King Charles Pays Tribute on 80th Anniversary of D-Day
King Charles III marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings with a poignant speech in Portsmouth, a key departure point for the historic Normandy landings of June 1944.
This event is notable as his most significant public address since his cancer diagnosis. Queen Camilla, visibly moved, accompanied him during the ceremony.
Addressing the gathering, the King honored the “courage, resilience, and solidarity” of the D-Day participants, emphasizing the importance of their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom. He acknowledged the dwindling number of surviving veterans and stressed the need to remember their efforts to end brutal totalitarianism.
“We are eternally in their debt,” the King stated, adding that their efforts must never be forgotten.
The commemorations, spanning two days in both Britain and France, included a drone light show in Portsmouth and the illumination of headstones at Bayeux War Cemetery in France. Earlier in the day, a large-scale parachute reenactment took place near Sannerville, Normandy, showcasing the Allied liberation.
King Charles, alongside Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales, addressed the national D-Day commemoration on Southsea Common.
The veterans’ speeches received standing ovations, and the Queen was brought to tears. Reflecting on the “greatest amphibious operation in history,” King Charles highlighted the bravery of those who “must have questioned if they would survive” as they fought to end tyranny.
Prince William read from the diary of Captain Alastair Bannerman, a D-Day survivor.
“Too many never returned,” he noted, adding a personal reflection about Catherine, Princess of Wales, whose grandmother had worked at Bletchley Park, the World War Two codebreaking center.
Dame Helen Mirren and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also participated, with Mirren praising the veterans’ bravery and Sunak delivering an address to the crowd. “They gave us our freedom,” Mirren said, underscoring the debt owed to those who fought on D-Day.
Portsmouth, a significant embarkation point for the D-Day landings, played a central role in these commemorations. The event highlighted the contributions of troops from the UK, US, Canada, and France in the largest seaborne invasion in history.
Veteran Roy Hayward, who landed in Normandy at 19, emphasized the need to remember those who fought for democracy, saying, “to ensure their story is never forgotten.”
Last week, King Charles met Jim Miller, a D-Day veteran who recently turned 100. The King personally handed him a birthday card at Buckingham Palace, reflecting on the sacrifices made by Miller’s generation. “I am humbled to reach such a great number, especially when I think of those who fell on the Normandy beaches all those years ago,” Miller said afterwards.
On Wednesday, 21 veterans attended a memorial event in Staffordshire, while another 23 joined commemorations in Normandy with Princess Anne. The Royal British Legion noted that this might be the last major opportunity to host a significant number of Normandy veterans.
A joint UK-France thanksgiving service was held at Normandy’s Bayeux Cathedral, honoring those who fought on D-Day. King Charles will travel to France for further commemorations at the British Normandy Memorial, marking his first overseas trip since his diagnosis. Prince William will attend an international ceremony with over 25 heads of state.
These events underscore the enduring gratitude and respect for the bravery and sacrifice of the D-Day veterans, whose actions were pivotal in securing freedom and democracy in Europe.