MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

King and Prince of Wales will attend anniversary of the D-Day Landings

The King and Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will attend the UK’s national commemorative event in Portsmouth

Following on the announcement of U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who called an early parliamentary election for July 4, Buckingham Palace said that all members of the Royal Family were canceling most public engagements until after the vote to avoid doing anything that might divert attention from the campaign.

However despite the Buckingham Palace short release on the cancelling most activities it was also confirmed that the King and Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will attend the UK’s national commemorative event in Portsmouth to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

The Princess Royal Anne, Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Regina Rifles, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will unveil a statue of a Second World War Canadian Royal Regina Rifleman and attend a Reception in Normandy with members of the Regiment, to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.

At the Bayeux War Cemetery, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will join Normandy veterans and French representatives at a Royal British Legion Service of Commemoration.

As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), The Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, will attend an annual service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral. This will be followed by a service and vigil later that evening where Her Royal Highness will give a speech in remembrance of those who lost their lives during the operation.

Thursday 6th June

The King and Queen will attend The Ministry of Defense and the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. His Majesty is Patron of the Royal British Legion.

The Prince of Wales will attend the Canadian commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer, hosted by the Government of Canada. His Royal Highness will join Canadian D-Day and Second World War Veterans, as well as Canadian Armed Forces personnel, cadets, and wider youth representatives at the event.

The Prince of Wales will attend the international commemorative ceremony at Omaha Beach, Saint Laurent sur Mer, joining over 25 Heads of State and veterans from around the world in marking this historic anniversary.

At the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will join veterans and their families at the Royal British Legion’s Service of Remembrance.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend ‘D-Day 80: Remembering the Normandy Landings’, an evening of music-led, multi-generational storytelling, reflecting on the Second World War at the Royal Albert Hall.