The King and Queen welcomed veterans to Buckingham Palace to hear their reflections ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Their Majesties spoke to four soldiers about the landings and listened to their experiences in a moving meeting that came just days before tens of thousands gather in Normandy to pay tribute to all those involved in D-Day.
Bernard Morgan, John Dennett, Jim Miller and Arthur Oborne shared their recollections with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The conversation was recorded for the BBC and will be shown on The One Show and on the BBC iPlayer on June 5th 2024, the eve of the 80th anniversary of D Day.
As part of the meeting, King Charles also read excerpts from the diary of his grandfather, King George VI.
There was another tribute, too, for Jim MIller who turned 100 in the days before the anniversary. During the meeting, he was presented with his special birthday card by The King and Queen themselves.
He said ”I was totally surprised and delighted to be invited to Buckingham Palace! It was a special day and a real honour for me to meet The King and Queen and be presented with my birthday card.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with the Prince of Wales, will take part in a special commemorative event in Portsmouth on the eve of the D-Day anniversary.
On the 80th anniversary itself, The King and Queen will be in Normandy to mark the solemn moment. Their Majesties will attend the commemoration at Ver-sur-Mer. Prince William will be at Juno Beach Centre for the Canadian commemoration.
D-Day 80: Tribute to The Fallen’ is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK from 8.30pm on June 5th 2024.
