The King, Queen, and Prince of Wales will attend a commemoration event in Portsmouth as huge celebrations in the United Kingdom and France mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, and the 1944 assault laid the groundwork for the Allied victory.
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On June 6, 1944, British, American, Canadian, and French troops attacked German forces on the beaches of Normandy in northern France.
Allied soldiers left Portsmouth on June 5, so the UK and French governments will hold commemorative celebrations in both ports to mark the D-Day landings.
Over the course of two days, the King, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a bevy of other dignitaries, and, most significantly, those who fought on the beaches in 1944 will gather to commemorate the fight that marked the turning point in the Allied victory.
Some veterans will attend two days of memorial ceremonies in Portsmouth to commemorate this historic occasion. As of Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Defense was holding a huge remembrance event on Southsea Common.
However, processes for scores of other WWII soldiers have already commenced.
On Tuesday, a group of former D-Day veterans boarded a ship to travel from Portsmouth to Normandy once more, recreating their steps from 80 years ago.
As a result, D-Day veterans, politicians, royals, and the general public will commemorate the historic fight at the same ports used by Allied soldiers in 1944.
Military musicians and special guests will lead the commemorative service in Portsmouth on June 5, hosted by Dame Helen Mirren.
The morning will conclude with a flypast by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.
To commemorate the event, the Prime Minister will give a reading to the people before meeting with veterans to hear their D-Day tales.
In the afternoon, tributes will continue to Normandy’s beaches, where hundreds of allied defense forces will parachute into a famous D-Day drop zone to commemorate the airborne invasion 80 years earlier.
The Royal British Legion will hold a commemorative ceremony at Bayeux War Cemetery prior to a joint UK-France Thanksgiving service at Bayeux Cathedral.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will illuminate the Bayeux War Cemetery on Wednesday night as the sun sets, honoring those who fought on the beaches. The BBC will broadcast the light show live for everyone to witness.
On Thursday, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, commemorations will begin in Normandy at 7.25 a.m., the same time the beach invasion began in 1944.
A military piper will arrive on the beaches of Arromanches-les-Bains on a Royal Marines landing craft and begin playing a lament in honor of those who led the beach landings.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr. Sunak will join the King at the official British commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer.
The Prince of Wales will attend activities in Normandy, including a service held by Canada at Juno Beach and an international celebration hosted by France at Omaha Beach, attended by over 25 heads of state.
The UK’s Defense Secretary, Grant Shapps, and Foreign Secretary, Lord David Cameron, will also attend the Portsmouth and Normandy commemorations.
The Prime Minister will give a brief address at Ver-sur-Mer before leading a “heroes’ welcome” for the veterans.
