The Prince of Wales said his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, would have loved to join the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, as she continues to recover after her cancer diagnosis.
Footage showed William speaking to a veteran after the big event in Portsmouth, when he appeared to say “she is” when asked if Kate was “getting better”.
The prince added: “She would love to be here today.”
Both the King and Queen appeared to have tears in their eyes as they paid tribute to the veterans at the memorial event.
Charles told the crowd that “we are eternally indebted” to veterans.
“It is an almost impossible task to imagine the emotion of that day,” he said, adding: “It is our duty to ensure that we and future generations do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom.”
The King's appearance was his first public speech and his most high-profile appearance since being diagnosed with cancer.
Prince William also emphasized the importance of remembering “those who served and those who farewelled them.”
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Watch: King reads grandfather George VI's diary entry
Watch: King Charles reads grandfather George VI's diary entry on D-Day anniversary
King Charles III shared an entry from King George VI's D-Day diary when he met with veterans ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. While sitting at Buckingham Palace, the King also shared a photograph of his grandfather, who reigned from 1936 to 1952 and was on the throne during World War II. “At 8 a.m. the news was given that the invasion of the European continent had begun last night, the airborne troops had successfully landed during the night and had captured their objectives,” reads George VI's diary, written in 1944.
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Paratroopers land in Normandy
More than 300 British, Belgian and American paratroopers landed in fields near Sannerville, which was designated Drop Zone K on June 6, 1944.
Among the 250 British soldiers was First Corporal Addy Carter, the first woman to pass the Parachute Regiment P Company course.
Also jumping was Lieutenant Max Phillips, whose great-great-uncle, Major William Tighe-Woods, landed on Sword Beach on D-Day.
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Poet says acting was emotional
One poet said it was “very emotional” to perform his piece in front of D-Day veterans at the commemorations.
Tomos Roberts, a 30-year-old spoken word poet, recited his specially written piece The people who gave us today on stage at the event in Portsmouth, in front of hundreds of spectators, including the King, Queen, Prince of Wales and Rishi Sunak.
But Roberts, who has amassed more than 130,000 followers on Instagram and 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, said it was the dozens of D-Day veterans in attendance who he was most eager to please.
He said, “The main people that I got really excited about performing in front of are actually the veterans that were in attendance today.
“I feel, you know, this might be the last anniversary of D-Day, where we had people attend and that really struck me when I was writing the poem.”
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King to open D-Day education center
The King and Queen will open a new education center on the site of the British Normandy monument in France on Thursday.
The Winston Churchill Center for Education and Learning will host two exhibition galleries, curated by the Royal British Legion, telling the stories of those who fought on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
The center will also have a classroom specially designed to accommodate school groups and teach them how the landings were possible.
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Anne credits veterans for their work
The Princess Royal has paid tribute to British D-Day veterans, telling one he was the reason she played her public role.
Anne met the former servicemen as they gathered in Normandy to remember fallen colleagues and their own efforts at the Royal British Legion's moving remembrance service at Bayeux War Cemetery.
Anne chatted to Don Jones, 99, who served in the Royal Navy transporting men and equipment to Sword Beach.
He told the veteran that one of the reasons he plays his role “is because I know people like you.”
Mr Jones, from Mold, north Wales, who was a 19-year-old able seaman in the Royal Navy, said he concentrated on his work on June 6, 1944 because the cacophony of the battle was so great.
After speaking to the princess he said: “I was in the Royal Navy on a tank landing craft. We crossed tanks and materials and left them on Sword Beach. Then, the next two months we were going back and forth with the materials.
“I think on our third trip we brought prisoners back, and on the next two trips, about 500 prisoners in total.
“I was so busy I couldn't take in everything that was happening, the noise was so big. The larger ships, with huge guns, were firing on us all the time, firing inland to try to clear the enemy positions.”
A minute of silence was observed in memory of the fallen.
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