Remembering D-Day 80 years on: British WWII veterans head to Normandy on ferries from Portsmouth

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00:00Let's cross live to Portsmouth to talk to our correspondent who joins us

00:04from there. It is a highly emotional day there, isn't it? Yes, welcome

00:13to Portsmouth, Portsmouth that is very much gearing up for this 80th

00:18anniversary of the D-Day landings, also known as the Normandy landings,

00:23where over 136,000 troops, British and Allied troops, a lot of

00:28Commonwealth troops, American troops, some French, Australian and

00:32others, set sail on what was a window in the weather and on 7,000

00:40vessels and invaded, well, began to invade Normandy on five different

00:48beaches. It was Operation Overlord, the start of Operation Overlord. It

00:53took many months before the liberation of Paris and more months

00:57than that to actually get over and have that victory over the Nazis in

01:04Germany, Hitler's Germany. So a very emotional time, because although it

01:09was very successful, there were 5,000 of the Allied troops that were

01:14injured, that were wounded and 4,400 men that were killed. We will hear

01:19today from veterans, they will be absolutely at the centre, those that

01:24are left, because of course they are 98, 99 or 100 or even older. It is

01:29so humbling and extraordinary to listen to this testimony. What they

01:33want above all is that legacy to be remembered and they want to pass that

01:38baton of remembrance to current generations and future ones. I

01:43mentioned Dame Helen Mirren who will be playing a large part in this, but

01:47all sorts of other people and organisations involved as well in the

01:51programme today, of course. Indeed, we will have, of course, a fly pass to

01:58kick everything off. We will have lots of songs, we will have readings.

02:02Readings, testimony from veterans, from British veterans, from American

02:07veterans. Some VTs, as they are called, so we will get short reports on,

02:13for example, codebreakers. Codebreakers across the country,

02:17particularly in Bletchley Park, that were absolutely significant in

02:21speeding up the end of the war, that victory over Nazis. The SOE, the

02:27Special Operations Executive, as it was wanted by Winston Churchill, that

02:31were there to have all kinds of sabotage tactics across France but

02:36also across other northern European countries. We will have a reading

02:41from the King, King Charles. It is his biggest event since his diagnosis

02:46of cancer. He wanted to be here, he will be here, along with his wife

02:50Queen Camilla. We will also have a reading from the heir to the throne,

02:55his eldest son, Prince William. And we will also have a reading from the

03:00Prime Minister, taking a break, of course, because we have a general

03:04election campaign. Indeed, he took part in a head-to-head with the

03:08opposition leader last night, but the Prime Minister will be here

03:12before both the King, Queen Camilla and Rishi Sunak go to those very

03:17important memories and ceremonies across France tomorrow, particularly

03:22in Normandy, with President Macron.

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