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3 months ago
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are just a few of the well-known faces pictured meeting veterans before the Royal Albert Hall D-Day event tonight.
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Danish-born Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, smiled warmly as they shook hands with veterans ahead this evening.
Also seen in attendance was Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins OBE, who will perform later tonight.
The 80th anniversary event - Remembering the Normandy Landings - will be presented by Davina McCall.
The evening of music-led storytelling reflects on the beginning of the end of the Second World War.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester greet Katherine Jenkins and Katie Ashby
The Duchess of Gloucester meets 104-year-old D-Day veteran Percy Chafer
Veterans meet the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester ahead of tonight's event
The Duchess of Gloucester greets five-year-old Isabella Traboulsi
Katherine Jenkins and other performers meet the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The event will hear moving performances from Emeli Sandé, Lulu and the lead vocalist of The D-Day Darlings, Katie Ashby.
It will also feature untold personal stories through letters and diary entries read by famous faces from stage and screen.
The Duchess spoke with 104-year-old D-Day veteran Percy Chafer, who is thought to be the second oldest veteran in the UK to have seen active service on D-Day.
The former gunner landed on Sword Beach with the 7th Armoured Division of the British Army.
Mr Chafer, from Pimlico, told the BBC: 'It was the most amazing sight, all these boats'.
But he added: 'What could we expect? The worst, I suppose, really,' and said even those who weren't religious prayed.
D-Day veterans were left in tears as the memories of decades past came flooding back while they were honoured for their service by world leaders and royals earlier today.
Soldiers who took part in the Normandy landings 80 years ago wept as they remembered their fallen comrades and were given standing ovations by the grateful younger generations at a series of touching commemorative events in northern France.
Lulu performs at 'D-Day 80 - Remembering the Normandy Landings' at the Royal Albert Hall
Pictured are veterans at the Royal Albert Hall event tonight, 80 years on
The Duchess of Gloucester is presented with flowers from five-year-old Isabella Traboulsi
Emeli Sande performs at 'D-Day 80 - Remembering the Normandy Landings' tonight
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester with D-Day veterans in the Royal Retiring Room
Also seen in attendance was Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins OBE, who will perform later
Katherine Jenkins and D Day Darlings singer Katie Ashby at the Royal Albert Hall event
At the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, tribute was paid to the 'remarkable wartime generation', before wreaths of poppies were laid in memory of the more than 25,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the first stages of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The number of veterans in attendance was only a few dozen, as the numbers of survivors dwindles with each year that passes - at the 75th anniversary five years ago 255 travelled to France, compared to the 50 who have made the journey this time around.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led those present, which also included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, in a poignant silent prayer to remember those no longer with us, while memories of those who were on the beaches 80 years ago were also read out.
There were also moments of levity, with Queen Camilla being given a white rose by one veteran in a touching mark of respect, with Her Majesty seen clutching the tender gift as she spoke with the former soldiers.
Queen Camilla is given a white rose by a D-Day veteran as she speaks with them this morning
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wheels D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan, 100, from Crewe
At the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, tribute was paid to the 'remarkable wartime generation', before wreaths of poppies were laid in memory of the more than 25,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the first stages of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe
There were tears among the crowd, including from veterans, during the emotional service at Ver-sur-Mer in northern France this morning
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska have also arrived in Normandy with a message drawing on the shared values of the Allies and Ukrainians fighting against Russia's invasion.
Elsewhere Prince William was pictured attending at Juno Beach, where hundreds of Canadian troops lost their lives, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of an international gathering later in the day which is set to include US president Joe Biden.
At Ver-sur-Mer, Charles led 2,000 dignitaries, military personnel and veterans in paying tribute to those who stormed the beaches.
Charles, along with President Macron, Mr Sunak and military leaders laid wreathes of poppies at the memorial as Elgar's Nimrod was performed by a brass band in the background, with the national anthems of France and the United Kingdom also being played as the Red Arrows roared overhead.
They were also presented with white roses by French schoolchildren while cadets waved flags, and received multiple standing ovations during the two-hour-long service, before shaking hands and exchanging words with His Majesty.
The monarch looked emotional as he listened to singer Johnny Flynn perform 'Song with no Name' in tribute to the fallen, while Camilla was seen wiping her eyes as actor Martin Freeman read a touching diary entry from one survivor who remarked 'it's because of the lads [who died] that I'm here today'.
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