Prince Charles has praised the ‘personal courage and sacrifice’ of those who died in the D-Day landings as a new memorial was opened on the 77th anniversary of the operation.
In a recorded message he said: “I particularly wanted to address my first remarks directly to those whose presence today, either in person or online, really matters the most.
“I know just how much our incomparable veterans had hoped to be in Normandy today to see their Memorial for themselves.
“Despite having to watch via satellite link, this in no way obscures the enormous regard, and admiration, in which we hold our veterans or diminishes our debt of gratitude to the more than 22,000 men and women whose names are now permanently inscribed in stone in this place of honour above Gold Beach.”
Like many veterans of the landings, the prince was unable to attend the opening on a hillside overlooking ‘Gold’ beach at Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy.
The £30m new memorial, which was paid for by the UK government and benefactors records the names of 22,442 men and women under British command who fell on D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
It features the D-Day Sculpture by British sculptor David Williams-Ellis.
Prince Chales added: “As I said when I first became aware of the plans for this long overdue British memorial, it has for many years been a concern to me that the memory of these remarkable individuals should be preserved for future generations as an example of personal courage and sacrifice, for the benefit of the wider national and, indeed, international community.”