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Reuters

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth joined world leaders including Donald Trump and Angela Merkel to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history and a feat that helped bring World War Two to an end.
The queen, Prince Charles, presidents and prime ministers rose to applaud veterans, their coats heavy with medals, as they stood on a giant stage beside a guard of honour after a film of the Normandy landings was shown.
“We all had a part to play – I wasn’t nervous – I was apprehensive like everybody else was,” said Bert Edwards, recounting his role 75 years ago as an able seaman on the Royal Navy’s HMS Bellona.
“It’s something that happens once in a lifetime – makes you proud a little bit for taking part,” he said during the film.

Prime Minister Theresa May was joined for the commemorative events in Portsmouth by US President Trump, who is on the final day of a state visit to Britain, and his wife, Melania.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, German Chancellor Merkel, and leaders and senior figures from 10 other countries also attended.
“As we unite to pay tribute to those whose bravery and sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy marked a turning point in the Second World War, we will vow never to forget the debt we owe them,” May said.
“Their solidarity and determination in the defence of our freedom remains a lesson to us all.”

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 allied troops set off from Portsmouth and the surrounding area to begin the air, sea and land attack on Normandy that ultimately led to the liberation of western Europe from the Nazi regime.
By the time of the Normandy landings, Soviet forces had been fighting Germany in the east for almost three years and Kremlin chief Josef Stalin had urged British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to open a second front as far back as August 1942.
The invasion, code-named Operation Overlord and commanded by US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, remains the largest amphibious assault in history and involved almost 7,000 ships and landing craft along a 50-mile (80-km) stretch of the French coast.
Their solidarity and determination in the defence of our freedom remains a lesson to us all
Theresa May
Shortly after midnight, thousands of paratroopers were dropped. Then came the naval bombardment of German positions overlooking the shore. Then the infantry arrived on the beaches.
Mostly American, British and Canadian men, some just boys, waded ashore as German soldiers tried to kill them with machine guns and artillery. Survivors say the sea was red with blood and the air boiling with the thunder of explosions.
Thousands were killed on both sides. Line upon line of white crosses honour the dead in cemeteries across northern France. Even the codenames of the sectors of the invasion – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword – can draw tears from veterans.
“Seventy-five years ago this Thursday, courageous Americans and British patriots set out from this island towards history’s most important battle,” Trump told a news conference in London on Tuesday.
“They stormed forward out of ships and aeroplanes risking everything to defend our people and to ensure that the United States and Britain would forever remain sovereign and forever remain free.”

Sixteen countries attended the commemorations: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Those countries agreed a proclamation to “ensure that the unimaginable horror of these years is never repeated”.
“We will act resolutely, with courage and tenacity, to protect our people against threats to our values and challenges to peace and stability,” the proclamation said.
The commemorations will feature an hour-long performance recounting the story of D-Day and a fly-past by historic and military aircraft.
On Wednesday evening, some 300 veterans who took part on D-Day, all now older than 90, will leave Portsmouth on a specially commissioned ship, MV Boudicca, and retrace their 1944 journey across the English Channel, accompanied by Royal Navy vessels and a lone wartime Spitfire fighter plane.
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Meanwhile in Normandy, British air assault troops, French army paratroopers and D-Day veterans will recreate the airborne landings. There will be further D-Day memorial events on Thursday in northern France.
Wednesday’s event coincides with the last day of Trump’s state visit to Britain, where he has lavished praise on the US ally and said the wartime bonds forged the “greatest alliance the world has ever known”.
He also called for Nato allies to spend more on defence, saying they had no choice but to meet Nato’s target of at least 2 per cent of GDP. Trump has repeatedly complained that Germany and others are not pulling their weight and need to do more to ease the burden on the United States.
Britain is one of the few Nato members that does meet the target and May said the D-Day events should serve as an important marker for unity for the future.
“As I host leaders from around the world today to mark this significant moment in our shared history, we will together reflect on the continued importance of the western alliance for all our countries’ security and prosperity,” she said.


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Royalty

‘Bravery and sacrifice’: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and world leaders gather to applaud D-Day veterans on 75th anniversary

Leaders stand for the British national anthem during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth. Photo: AFP

A WWII D-Day veteran Britain's looks on during the event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, in Portsmouth, Britain, June 5, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

US President Donald Trump (L) sits with US First Lady Melania Trump (R) in the royal box during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth, southern England, on June 5, 2019. during an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth, southern England, on June 5, 2019. - US President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II and 300 veterans are to gather on the south coast of England on Wednesday for a poignant ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Other world leaders will join them in Portsmouth for Britain's national event to commemorate the Allied invasion of the Normandy beaches in France -- one of the turning points of World War II. (Photo by Chris Jackson / AFP)

Parachutists jump from C-47 transport planes in Carentan, Normandy, France, Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Approximately 200 parachutists participated in the jump over Normandy on Wednesday, replicating a jump made by U.S. soldiers on June 6, 1944 as a prelude to the seaborne invasions on D-Day. (AP Photo/Rafael Yaghobzadeh)

Britain’s queen took a subtle jab at Donald Trump’s attacks on US allies while standing next him

US President Donald Trump and Britain's Queen Elizabeth raise their glasses at the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday. Photo: Reuters

General view of the State Banquet with U.S. President Donald Trump, Britain's Queen Elizabeth and guests at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, June 3, 2019. Dominic Lipinski/Pool via REUTERS

When Queen Elizabeth met the US presidents: from Truman to Trump

US President Donald Trump (left) and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth share a toast at Monday’s state banquet at Buckingham Palace, in London during his three-day state visit to Britain. Photo: AP

President Bush toasts with Queen Elizabeth II, left, during a State Dinner at the White House on Monday, May 7, 2007 in Washington Evan Vucci/AP

President Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip outside the North Portico of the White House in Washington on July 7, 1976. The Fords are hosting a state dinner for the Queen of England in the Executive Mansion. AP Photo

Michelle Obama, wife of U.S. President Barack Obama, left, walks with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at the reception at Buckingham Palace in London Wednesday, April 1, 2009. AP Photo/Daniel Hambury, pool

Queen Elizabeth II poses with President John Kennedy, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Prince Philip, June 5, 1961, at Buckingham Palace in London. The Kennedys were guests of the Queen at dinner. AP Photo

President and Mrs. Bush pose with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, far left, Thursday, June 1, 1989 in London at Buckingham palace where the queen hosted a lunch for the first family. AP Photo/Doug Mills

French President Giscard d'Estaing, left, chats with Queen Elizabeth II, and President Jimmy Carter escorts the Queen Mother to pose for photographers prior to the State Dinner, May 7, 1977, at Buckingham Palace AP Photo

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, pictured with U.S. President Richard Nixon, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Edward Heath at Chequers, Buckinghamshire, in 1970. AP

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, pose with the insignia of the honour ary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, which the Queen conferred on Reagan, after a lunch in Buckingham Palace, London, AP Photo/Martin Cleaver

U.S. President Ronald Reagan, on Centennial, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, on Burmese, go horseback riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle, England. Bob Daugherty, File/AP

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II walks with U.S. President Eisenhower past the Guard of Honour at Washington National Airport, Oct. 17, 1957. The Commander of the Honour Guard Lt. Colonel Robert Phelps marches beside the Queen. AP

Princess Elizabeth and President Harry S. Truman during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” at National Airport in Washington, D.C., in October 1951.CreditCreditAssociated Press

From left, US President Donald Trump, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, first lady Melania Trump, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall pose for the media ahead of the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in London, Monday, June 3, 2019. Trump is on a three-day state visit to Britain. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Princess Elizabeth and President Harry Truman sit for this picture in the Canadian Embassy in Washington, on Nov. 1, 1951 during formal dinner for the Trumans. The Princess and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, played host to the Trumans. This was one of the high spots of the royal couple's Washington visit which followed their Canadian tour. AP Photo

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, and U.S. President Barack Obama during a state banquet in Buckingham Palace, London, on Tuesday May 24, 2011. Lewis Whyld/AP

President George H. Bush escorts Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on the field at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, May 15, 1991 in Baltimore, before the Orioles played the Oakland A's. Greg Gibson/AP

In this Saturday, June 4, 1994 file photo, Britain's Queen Elizabeth smiles, as she sits alongside President Bill Clinton at a dinner in the Guildhall in Portsmouth, England, commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day. AP Photo/Doug Mills, File

‘Old demons are reawakening’: France’s Macron warns of rising nationalism during Remembrance Day ceremony for world leaders

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 1918 armistice that ended the first world war on November 11, 2018. Photo: AP

(181111) -- PARIS, Nov. 11, 2018 (Xinhua) -- People attend a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, near the town of Compiegne, France, Nov. 10, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel clasped hands on Saturday during a solemn joint ceremony at a historic site, in a vow of peace and unity. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) (lrz)

(181111) -- PARIS, Nov. 11, 2018 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron (2nd L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (1st L) attend a solemn joint ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, near the town of Compiegne, France, Nov. 10, 2018. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel clasped hands on Saturday during a solemn joint ceremony at a historic site, in a vow of peace and unity. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) (lrz)

Members of feminist movement Femen are evacuated by the police after demonstrating in front of the Arc de Triomphe on November 10, 2018, as several leaders are to arrive in Paris on the eve of the commemorations of WWI armistice centenary. (Photo by Geoffroy VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)

U.S. President Donald Trump watches French President Emmanuel Macron putting his hand on German Chancellor Angela Merkel's knee during a commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, at the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. Francois Mori/Pool via REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as part of the commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump as they attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, as part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

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Donald Trump and Angela Merkel among those gathered in Portsmouth to pay tribute to those who took part in Normandy landings



Donald Trump and Angela Merkel among those gathered in Portsmouth to pay tribute to those who took part in Normandy landings.
