All eyes were on King Charles and Queen Camilla today as they came out to support veterans on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The royal couple joined forces with the Prince of Wales, leading UK politicians and veterans at a major event in Ver-sur-Mer to pay their respects and mark the somber occasion.
And speaking to FEMAIL, a lip reader captured the touching interactions between the royals and veterans during today’s memorial event.
According to Jeremy Freeman, Camilla took part in a touching exchange in which a veteran told Her Majesty: “I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”
In a moving response, Camilla, 76, said: “Oh, it does matter, as long as… it’s humanly possible.”
Queen Camilla shared a moving conversation with a veteran at today’s D-Day commemoration event in Ver-sur-Mer.
Elsewhere at today’s event, Camilla looked delighted as she received a white rose from veteran Gilbert Clarke.
According to Jeremy, when Gilbert presented the rose to the royal, he said, “For you really.”
A woman accompanying Gilbert asked Camilla: ‘Do you like it? It’s a positive flower.’ Camilla replied: “Yes” and added: “Nice to be here today.”
Meanwhile, Charles seemed in high spirits as he chatted to veterans including Peter Newton.
When the 75-year-old monarch sat with Newton at lunch, he was quick to show humor.
According to Jeremy, Charles said while pointing at the food: ‘Is this what your guard has to eat?’ The monarch later added: “What matters is that we drink more beer.”
In a moving comment, Charles later called a veteran “admirable” after he recounted a memory from his days as a soldier.
The veteran stated: ‘One of the keys was landing in the square.’ Charles asked, ‘And you did this to survive.’
When the D-Day veteran said “yes… I’m a survivor,” Charles responded and said, “Admirable.”
Her Majesty, 76, appeared moved after a D-Day veteran told her: “I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”
Camilla appeared delighted to receive a white rose from veteran Gilbert Clarke, during the UK Ministry of Defense and Royal British Legion memorial event.
In Ver-sur-Mer, Charles led 2,000 dignitaries, military personnel and veterans to pay tribute to those who stormed the beaches.
Charles, along with President Macron, Sunak and military leaders laid wreaths of poppies at the monument while a brass band played Elgar’s Nimrod in the background, and the national anthems of France and the United Kingdom were also played as the Red Arrows they roared. general expenses.
French schoolchildren also presented them with white roses as the cadets waved flags and received multiple standing ovations during the two-hour service, before shaking hands and exchanging words with Her Majesty.
The monarch appeared 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 moving diary entry from a survivor who commented: ‘It is because of the boys (who died) that I am here today.’
In his speech, Charles said: “Eighty years ago, on D-Day, June 6, 1944, our nation – and those who stood by it – faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.
King Charles III appeared in high spirits as he chatted with D-Day veteran Peter Newton over lunch.
Charles today called a D-Day veteran (pictured) “admirable” as the former soldier recounted his time in the role.
‘How fortunate were we, 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 time came to face that test.
‘On the beaches of Normandy, in the seas and in the skies, our armed forces did their duty with a humble sense of resolve and determination, qualities so characteristic of that remarkable wartime generation.
“Many of them never returned home, losing their lives on the D-Day landing fields or in the numerous battles that followed.
‘It is with the deepest sense of gratitude that we remember them and all those who served at that critical time.
“We remember the lesson we received again and again over the decades: free nations must unite to oppose tyranny.”
Speaking in both French and English, he also paid his respects to the people of France, who suffered under Nazi rule during World War II and who fought for freedom through La Résistance.
On the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the Royal British Legion (RBL) took 255 veterans back to Normandy on a charter ship, while this year only 23 will make the trip with the charity.
A total of 50 British D-Day veterans are expected to attend events in Normandy today, and there have been emotional scenes as those well enough to make the trip gathered in northern France.