D-Day 75th anniversary celebration in Portsmouth
World leaders and WWII veterans commemorated the allied invasion of Normandy at a ceremony in Portsmouth, the port in Britain from where the landing craft disembarked in 1944.
A reenactment of the 'longest day'
Ahead of the official celebration, volunteer actors put on British military uniforms and took a ride around the ceremony in restored vintage military vehicles. On D-Day, American, British and Canadian forces combined landed around 156,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy by sea and by air.
A flyover for peace
British jets flew over the ceremony at Portsmouth on Monday. More than 4,000 aircraft were engaged in the invasion of Normandy on between June 5-6.
Veterans return to Normandy.
A 94-year-old British veteran waves during a ceremony held in Caen, a small city in Normandy. He was part of a group of veterans who retraced the journey across the English Channel to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. One former American paratrooper, 97-year-old Tom Rice, even landed again by parachute — although this time with a tandem partner.
World leaders pay respect
US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, were among the handful of world leaders who gathered in Portsmouth. Trump read from a prayer given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 6, 1944. "A struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity."
Queen Elizabeth shares her thoughts
Queen Elizabeth was 19 years old on June 6, 1944. During a short speech on Monday, the queen said: "that generation — my generation — is resilient." She also quoted from a broadcast given by her father, King George VI, after the invasion, calling for "courage and endurance ... a revival of spirit, a new unconquerable resolve."
Veterans remember the fallen
A group of D-Day veterans, many over 90 years old, appeared on stage during the ceremony in Portsmouth to remember the soldiers who did not survive. More than 4,400 Allied servicemen were killed on D-Day alone.
A reunited world
It was announced that the night before Monday's ceremony in Portsmouth that the leaders of all 16 countries involved in World War II had signed an symbolic peace proclamation to ensure that the horrors of the war are never repeated.