'A special moment': UK national ceremony held to mark 80 years since D-Day landings
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00:00We can now go across to France 24's Bénédicte Paviot standing by in Portsmouth for us.
00:06Bénédicte, talk us through what has been...
00:08You join us. You're joining us. Here's the flypast. Here's the flypast.
00:20A spectacular flypast by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows and the Typhoon display team.
00:26Bang on cue.
00:31With the blue, white and red.
00:36Everybody's standing here taking photographs.
00:38A special moment which ends the ceremony.
00:41The special official UK commemoration ceremony that we have just witnessed
00:47and been broadcasting a very moving speech by King Charles
00:51talking about the collective effort in this country.
00:55He wasn't just referring, although he of course referred a great deal to the military
01:00and to the 30 countries that had helped bring that victory over Hitler's Nazis.
01:07But he talked about the eternal debt of gratitude that we all have.
01:12The role that so many people played behind the scenes here in the United Kingdom
01:17where it was working down the mine, whether it was working for the intelligence services
01:21for example code breaking. We know the role that Bletchley Park played for that.
01:26The SOE for example.
01:28And of course what was also during the ceremony is talking about the role of the French resistance.
01:34The incredible sacrifice and service of those allied troops
01:39and of course British troops that helped on that pivotal day on the 6th of June 1944
01:4680 years ago and begun really Operation Overlord
01:51and it was the start of an operation that led to the victory
01:56and vanquishing the Nazis in France and in Northern Europe.
02:01Benedict we had of course the British Prime Minister who was very busy last night
02:06during a televised debate.
02:08He managed to peel himself away from thinking about next month's general election
02:13to be there at this commemoration ceremony today.
02:20Indeed a lot of pressure of course on him as he is running to be successful on the 4th of July
02:28and the polls very clearly show that the Conservative Party is trailing at least 20 points behind
02:33indeed are predicting a very comfortable if not landslide majority
02:38for the opposition Labour Party led by Sir Keir Starmer.
02:41So a very intense debate, the first head-to-head between the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
02:48and Keir Starmer on British television
02:51and yes coming down to Portsmouth today because this was always in the calendars
02:57always in the diary and it was important that the political, the head of government
03:02and the political leader of this country and also the monarch King Charles
03:06show their commitment to this page of history.
03:10History that very much wants to leave an important legacy and these veterans that are here today
03:16and that we've seen in the British media, in British newspapers over the last weeks and months
03:22as they dwindle in number very much saying that they want to pass on that baton of remembrance
03:29to the younger generations and we have seen many, many school children attend this ceremony today.
03:37Benedict, what has the coverage been like, you know, about these D-Day commemorations over where you are
03:43because as we've been saying the UK is so caught up with other things like a general election
03:49that are, you know, the main papers paying special attention to these commemoration events
03:55which are taking place today, this as of course a lot of the veterans are getting late, late stages in life rather.
04:07Yes, the numbers are dwindling, five years ago when we were here there were more veterans
04:13I understand I think it was over a hundred made it over for example to Normandy
04:17for those 75th anniversary celebrations, this time for the 80th I think it was just 36
04:24that have felt well enough to go over on a boat yesterday to take part in these very significant,
04:32very important celebrations, commemorations that we're going to see led by President Macron
04:38but of course there'll also be the American President there and some other 20 world leaders
04:43so this is a very important page of history, one that the King was reminding everyone
04:50is so important to fight against tyranny and that we owe that eternal debt of gratitude for our freedom
04:57to those who sacrificed their lives whether they came back or not and are buried in France
05:03for that freedom in 2024.
05:07Indeed, we shouldn't take it for granted, thank you very much for that Bénédicte, Bénédicte Pavia
05:12reporting there for us from Portsmouth today.