Lip reader reveals what Queen Camilla stated to D-Day veteran
All eyes were on King Charles and Queen Camilla today as they came out to support veterans on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The royal couple joined forces with the Prince of Wales, leading UK politicians and veterans at a major event in Ver-sur-Mer to pay their respects and mark the sombre occasion.
And speaking to FEMAIL, a lip reader has caught the touching interactions between the royals and veterans during today’s commemorative event.
According to Jeremy Freeman, Camilla engaged in a moving exchange that saw a veteran tell Her Majesty: ‘I’m alive that’s all that matters’.
In a poignant response, Camilla, 76, said: ‘Oh, it does matter, as long as… it’s humanly possible.’
Queen Camilla shared a poignant conversation with a veteran at today’s D-Day commemorative event at Ver-sur-Mer
Elsewhere during today’s event, Camilla appeared delighted as she received a white rose from veteran Gilbert Clarke.
According to Jeremy, when Gilbert handed the rose to the royal, he said: ‘For you truly.’
A woman accompanying Gilbert asked Camilla: ‘Do you like it? It’s a positive flower’. Camilla replied: ‘Yes’ and added: ‘Lovely to be here today’.
Meanwhile, Charles appeared in high spirits as she chatted with veterans, including Peter Newton.
When the monarch, 75, sat down with Mr Newton during lunch, he was quick to dish out the humour.
According to Jeremy, Charles said while pointing to the food: ‘Is this what you guard have to eat?’ The monarch later added: ‘What matters is we drink beer more’.
In a touching remark, Charles later called a veteran ‘admirable’ after he recounted a memory from his days as a soldier.
The veteran said: ‘One of the key things was to land in the square’. Charles questioned: ‘And you did this to survive’.
When the D-Day veteran said ‘yes…I am a survivor’, Charles responded and said: ‘Admirable’.
Her Majesty, 76, appeared moved after a D-Day veteran told her: ‘I’m alive that’s all that matters’
Camilla looked delighted to receive a white rose from veteran Gilbert Clarke, during the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event
At Ver-sur-Mer, Charles led 2,000 dignitaries, military personnel and veterans in paying tribute to those who stormed the beaches.
Charles, along with President Macron, Mr Sunak and military leaders laid wreathes of poppies at the memorial as Elgar’s Nimrod was performed by a brass band in the background, with the national anthems of France and the United Kingdom also being played as the Red Arrows roared overhead.
They were also presented with white roses by French schoolchildren while cadets waved flags, and received multiple standing ovations during the two-hour-long service, before shaking hands and exchanging words with His Majesty.
The monarch looked emotional as he listened to singer Johnny Flynn perform ‘Song with no Name’ in tribute to the fallen, while Camilla was seen wiping her eyes as actor Martin Freeman read a touching diary entry from one survivor who remarked ‘it’s because of the lads [who died] that I’m here today’.
In his speech, Charles said: ‘Eighty years ago on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, our nation – and those which stood alongside it – faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.
King Charles III appeared in high spirits as he chatted to a D-Day veteran Peter Newton during a lunch
Charles called a D-Day veteran (pictured) ‘admirable’ today as the former soldier recounted his time in the role
‘How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women in the United Kingdom and other allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face that test.
‘On the beaches of Normandy, on the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our armed forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination – qualities so characteristic of that remarkable war-time generation.
‘Very many of them never came home, they lost their lives on the D-Day landing grounds or in the many battles that followed.
‘It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all those who served at that critical time.
‘We recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades – free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny.’
Speaking in French as well as English, he also paid his respects to the people of France, who suffered under Nazi rule during the Second World War and who fought for freedom through La Résistance.
At the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings the Royal British Legion (RBL) took 255 veterans back to Normandy on a chartered ship, while this year only 23 will make the trip with the charity.
A total of 50 British D-Day veterans are expected to be at events in Normandy today, and there have been emotional scenes as those who are well enough to make the journey have gathered in northern France.
