Kate would have loved to have come, says Prince William as King and Camilla shed tears at D-Day event

The Prince of Wales has said his wife, Kate, who is recovering following her cancer treatment, would have loved to have joined the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Asked by a veteran at a major event in Portsmouth whether the Princess of Wales was “getting any better”, William appeared to say “she is”.

The prince added: “She’d love to be here today.”

The King and Queen appeared overcome with emotion as Charles paid tribute to the “courage, resilience and solidarity” of veterans as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Charles and Camilla joined the Prince of Wales, leading UK politicians and veterans at the event, which included tributes, singing, parachute jumps and a flypast.

Pictures showed the King appearing to wipe a tear from his eye during the event, and the Queen appeared emotional following words from Royal Navy serviceman Eric Bateman.

It is one of Charles’s first major events since he returned to public duties following his cancer diagnosis in January. His daughter-in-law Kate was also diagnosed with cancer in January but has not yet returned to the public eye.

Prince William joined his father and Camilla as part of the royal family’s efforts to remember the sacrifices of the allied forces on the eve of the decisive invasion of Europe on 6 June 1944.

Charles praised the “courage, resilience and solidarity” of the veterans as he took to the stage at the event.

“The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity we have heard today and throughout our lives cannot fail to move us, to inspire us and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation,” he told the crowd. “It is our privilege to hear that testimony, but our role is not purely passive.

“It is our duty to ensure that we and future generations do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom.”

William read an extract from the diary of Captain Alastair Bannerman of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, a soldier who was part of D-Day, addressed to his wife on the morning of the landings.

The prince wore medals during his address, including the Most Honourable Order of the Bath around his neck, golden, diamond and platinum jubilee medals and a coronation medal.

“We will always remember those who served and those who waved them off,” he said. “The mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who watched their loved ones go into battle, unsure if they would ever return.

“Today we remember the bravery of those who crossed this sea to liberate Europe. Those who ensured that Operation Overlord was a success. And those who waited for their safe return.”

The commemorations opened with a musical performance and a flypast of two historic Dakota military transport aircraft, widely used by the allies during the Second World War.

The prime minister also wrote a piece for the programme, in which he said “we must never forget how much we owe” those who took part in D-Day.

Rishi Sunak read an address by Field Marshal Montgomery, which was delivered to the troops ahead of the D-Day landings.

Dame Helen Mirren formally introduced the event at around 11am, where she praised the bravery of the veterans in attendance.

Children waved miniature Union flags as actor Phil Dunster came on stage in 1940s military garb to read a letter written by Major Rodney Maude of the Royal Engineers written 48 hours before D-Day.

Call The Midwife star Helen George led an ensemble of singers in a rendition of Dame Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again” at the national commemorative event.

Veterans in the audience were seen singing along to the lyrics as members of the crowd waved Union flags.

After the event, Charles met with 21 veterans – with one sharing a joke with him and revealing that he had served on the same ship as the King’s father, the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Keith Whiting, 98, who served with the Royal Marines, said: “It was marvellous, we shared two or three jokes, I served on board the HMS Ramillies when Prince Philip was on there, so we talked about one or two things. It was such a marvellous turnout.”

In a separate and emotional ceremony in Normandy, 11 veterans with the Spirit of Normandy Trust joined commemorations in Colleville-Montgomery, sitting in the front row of the service.

Royal Navy veteran Alec Penstone, 99, who served on HMS Campania, said: “I realised how many of my wonderful shipmates... died. I don’t know how I’m still spared.”

Princess Anne, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regina Rifles, a Canadian military unit, unveiled a statute of a rifleman from the regiment.

She hailed the “loyalty, bravery and duty” of the regiment, and attended a reception with former soldiers in Normandy.

The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with the 1944 battle laying the foundation for an allied victory.

Allied troops departed from Portsmouth on 5 June, so the UK and French governments will host memorial events at both ports to commemorate the D-Day landings.

On Thursday – the 80th anniversary of D-Day – commemorations will begin in Normandy at 7.25am, the same time the beach invasion began in 1944.

A military piper will land on the beaches of Arromanches-les-Bains in a Royal Marines landing craft and begin playing a lament in tribute to those who led the beach landings.

The official British commemoration for the 80th anniversary of D-Day will take place at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, where the King will join French president Emmanuel Macron and Mr Sunak.

The Prince of Wales will attend events in Normandy including a service hosted by Canada at Juno Beach and an international ceremony hosted by France at Omaha Beach, which will be attended by more than 25 heads of state.