The 80th anniversary of D-Day

Events are taking place in France and the UK to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France.

On 6 June 1944, tens of thousands of soldiers landed on five beaches in Normandy, northern France.

The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare played a crucial role in the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of Europe.

The sixth of June is a date etched in the memories of generations as D-Day, when mainly US, British and Canadian forces combined to break Germany’s hold.

At Gold Beach in Arromanches, Normandy, Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, piper with the Scottish gunners, enacted a time-honoured tradition of playing a Scottish lament on the bagpipes.

The tradition recreates the exact moment thousands of British troops disembarked onto French beaches.

People gathered early to attend the event at Gold Beach.

Later, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke at the UK commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

“80 years ago, the weather broke,” he said, beginning his address, “and the greatest invasion force in history left the shores of Britain to liberate Europe.”

Mr Sunak went on to say we “pledge never to forget” what people sacrificed in the D-Day landings, adding that veterans have dedicated their lives to describing what happened.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were welcomed by British cadets and French primary schoolchildren as they arrived for the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event.

They joined a number of Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The King addressed veterans at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, saying allies had faced the “supreme test” 80 years ago and we are fortunate the D-Day generation did not flinch when “the moment came to face that test”.

It is the first time the memorial, which contains the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944, has been used for major anniversary commemorations, having been opened in 2021.

The Prince of Wales attended the Canadian commemorative ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, at the Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer.

Prince William was greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and France’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

Canadian veteran Jim Spenst spoke with other veterans before the commemorative ceremony at the Canadian cemetery, which included a descent by Canadian paratroopers near the village of Courseulles-sur-Mer.