King Charles & Queen Camilla Moved to Tears While Honoring World War II Veterans

"we are all eternally in their debt"

Published Jun 5, 2024

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3:34pm

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King Charles and Queen Camilla recently marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Portsmouth, England by honoring veterans for their service—and they were both moved to tears.

On June 5, His Majesty delivered an emotional speech to highlight the service and sacrifice of these brave veterans. And soon after his address, the king appeared to be wiping away a tear while sitting next to his wife, who was also watery-eyed, in the Royal Box.

On Instagram, Buckingham Palace shared a clip of the king's address and wrote, “The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity which we have heard today, and throughout our lives, cannot fail to move us, to inspire us, and to remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation.”

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In his emotional speech, King Charles discussed the importance of D-Day and its impact several decades later. He said, "Today, we come together to honor those nearly 160,000 British, Commonwealth and Allied troops who, on 5th June 1944, assembled here and along these shores to embark on the mission which would strike that blow for freedom and be recorded as the greatest amphibious operation in history. Those who gathered here in Portsmouth would never forget the sight. It was by far the largest military fleet the world has ever known."

The king also paid tribute to the veterans, adding, "As we give thanks for all those who gave so much to win the victory, whose fruits we still enjoy to this day, let us once again commit ourselves always to remember, cherish and honor those who served that day and to live up to the freedom they died for by balancing rights with civic responsibilities to our country. For we are all eternally in their debt."

On social media, one fan responded, "So beautifully expressed from our King, thank you. This brings tears to my eyes." Another said, "These were such brave men and we can never thank them enough for their sacrifice."

Following the event, the monarch met with 21 veterans—and according to The Independent, he even connected with someone who served alongside his late father, Prince Philip.

Keith Whiting (98), who served with the Royal Marines, told the publication, "It was marvelous, we shared two or three jokes, I served on board the HMS Ramillies when Prince Philip was on there, so we talked about one or two things."

Another veteran, Roy Hayward (98), who served as a reserve tank crewman, said, "I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them, I thought they were super actually, I was most impressed by the way they chatted to me and were so friendly."

It's always inspiring to see the royals pay homage to veterans and fallen heroes.

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Nakeisha Campbell

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Nakeisha has been interviewing celebrities and covering all things entertainment for over 8 years, but she has also written on a wide range of topics, like career...

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King Charles & Queen Camilla Moved to Tears While Honoring World War II Veterans

"we are all eternally in their debt"

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment