D-Day: Queen, Trump and other world leaders join veterans to mark 75th anniversary of Normandy landings

‘Many of them would never return, and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten,’ monarch tells crowd

The Queen was joined by the political heads of 16 countries involved in World War II. (Getty Images)

D-Day veterans and world leaders have gathered to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings – with the Queen praising the “heroism, courage and sacrifice” of the military personnel involved.

The monarch was joined by 16 world leaders, including Donald Trump, who finished his three-day trip to the UK by saying that D-Day “may have been the greatest battle ever”.

There was tight security for the event on Southsea Common in Portsmouth, with miles of fencing and roadblocks in place to protect dignitaries including Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Leaders from Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland and Slovakia also attended.

The countries represented at the event agreed to a joint statement, the D-Day proclamation, pledging to ensure the “unimaginable horror” of the war is not repeated.

The Queen said she was “delighted” to be able to thank the veterans for their service, saying that she believed when she attended events marking the 60th anniversary of the landings some thought it may have been the last such event.

The monarch said that she was saying “thank you” on behalf of “the whole free world”.

Quoting a broadcast by her father, King George VI, at the time of the operation in the Second World War, the Queen said those who sacrificed their lives demonstrated “more than courage and endurance”, showing “unconquerable resolve”.

“The fate of the world depended on their success,” she said. “Many of them would never return, and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten.”

Ms May read a letter penned by Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps. The letter, written on 3 June 1944 to his wife Gladys, was in Captain Skinner’s pocket when he landed at Normandy, but he was killed the next day. Mr Trump read a prayer written by the then US president, Franklin D Roosevelt, and originally delivered on the evening of D-day – 6 June 1944.

Scenes from the war were recreated by actors on stage, and the event included a flypast of the Red Arrows and historic aircraft, including Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Afterwards leaders including Mr Trump and Ms May met some of the 300 veterans, who are all over 90 years old, who attended the event at one of the key embarkation points on D-Day.

Thomas Cuthbert, 93, from Elmstead Market, Essex, said that Mr Trump “came across very well”.

He added: “He surprised me, when you see someone on the TV but he seemed different, he seemed one of the boys. His wife was very pleasant as well.”

Given the day’s events, Mr Trump left any political moves to the sidelines. He had a brief “pull aside” meeting with Ms Merkel after the Portsmouth event and it was also revealed that the US president had met Michael Gove, the environment secretary and Conservative leadership candidate earlier this week.

That meeting had potentially been set for Wednesday, but Mr Gove told the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee that he had exchanged a “few words” with Mr Trump on Monday.

“I’m afraid I didn’t see him today. I saw him on Monday evening. I had an opportunity to say a few words to the president on Monday night,” Mr Gove said.

Mr Trump is currently in Ireland, having met with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the VIP area of Shannon Airport. Brexit was the main topic with Mr Trump saying it would be “no problem” for Ireland.

On the thorny issue of the state of the Irish border, Mr Trump equated it to the wall he wants to build on the US-Mexico border.

“I think [Brexit] will all work out, and also for you with your wall, your border. We have a border situation in the United States and you have one over here. But I hear it’s going work out very well … it’s going to work out very well here.”

Mr Varadkar immediately responded by saying: “The thing we want to avoid, of course, is a border wall.”

Mr Trump will spend the night at Doonbeg, in County Clare where he has a golf course before heading to Normandy for further D-Day events on Thursday.

Ms May will also be in Normandy, with the prime minister and her husband Philip set to take part in the inauguration ceremony for a new memorial being erected in Ver-sur-Mer, with Mr Macron.

Later Ms May will then attend a service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, followed by a service of commemoration.

“It is a privilege to be in Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and to pay my respects to the troops who gave their lives for the freedom we cherish today,” Ms May said ahead of the commemorations.