Royals and veterans prepare to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day landings

Members of the royal family and veterans are preparing to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings over the coming week.

The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will travel to Normandy to attend a number of commemorative events on Thursday, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak due to join Charles and Camilla at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer.

On the eve of the anniversary, hundreds of Armed Forces personnel will parachute into a historic D-Day drop zone in France to recreate the airborne liberation of Normandy 80 years ago.

The RAF said Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft are “not expected” to fly in D-Day commemorations amid an investigation into the death of pilot Mark Long in a Spitfire crash near RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire last Saturday.

Some of the Normandy veterans are heading for northern France to mark the anniversary, with Second World War veteran Richard Aldred saying: “When I go to Normandy, I’ll guarantee to you I will shed a tear.”

A number of them turned, or will be turning, 100 this year, including Jim Miller, who was “surprised and delighted” to be invited to Buckingham Palace where he was presented with a birthday card from the King.

A series of commemorative events are planned for the days leading up to the anniversary.

On Monday, D-Day veterans will meet local schoolchildren at an event in Portsmouth – the nerve centre of D-Day operations 80 years ago – before they are shown around Southwick House from where General Dwight Eisenhower directed operations back in 1944.

On Tuesday, veterans will set sail from Portsmouth across the Channel – mirroring their pivotal journey 80 years ago – to attend events in France, with Royal Navy vessels in Portsmouth Harbour set to sail past in formation.

The following day, on the eve of the anniversary, Charles, Camilla and Mr Sunak will attend the UK’s national commemorative event in Portsmouth where, later in the evening, there will be a light show calling to mind the treacherous sea crossing taken 80 years ago.

The Princess Royal, Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regina Rifles, will unveil a statue of a Second World War Canadian Royal Regina Rifleman in Normandy and attend a reception with members of the regiment.

She and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will also join the Royal British Legion service of commemoration at Bayeux War Cemetery.

In West Dulwich, south London, a blue plaque will be installed at the childhood home of Joan Clarke – portrayed by Keira Knightley in the 2014 film The Imitation Game – a code-breaker who played a key part in decrypting German messages during the Second World War.

On Thursday, with the King, Queen and Prime Minister attending the UK’s national commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial, William will go to the Canadian commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer, before joining more than 25 heads of state and veterans from around the world at the official international ceremony at Omaha Beach, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

In the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are to attend the Royal British Legion’s service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum and there is to be an 80-strong boat Flotilla parade in Falmouth.

Teams of climbers are to scale all four of the UK’s highest peaks and light beacons to symbolise remembrance, with people set to summit Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England, Mount Snowdon in Wales and Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland.