so today she ll be presented with france s highest honour, the legion d honneur. i m just amazed, really. i m not expecting that sort of thing. president macron will give christian her medal here in ver sur mer, so she says she s brushing up on her french. i spent the morning trying to go through my french dictionary to find some really polite things to say in french, because i used to be absolutely bilingual when i was young and i lived in france for a whole year, and now i ve forgotten it all. but as we witnessed at a school here in northern france last month, christian is being far too modest about her linguistic skills. she speaks french. i feel wonderful. thrilled by it all. yesterday she was flown from portsmouth with pat owtram, also a recipient of the medal. i like yours very much. yes. i ve always been ratherjealous of it. ..wishing her bon voyage. have a good trip. thank you very much. very exciting. with the distinctive red ribbon and white cross, the people of fra
as well as king charles. there will be about 200 veterans mostly from the us, britain, canada and france. this 80th anniversary is focusing minds on the need for unity in the face of new conflicts. 0ur europe editor katya adler reports. les america. the americans are back in town. and it s feeling like the 1940s. from all over europe, the young and a little less young, clad in world war two allied military uniforms, celebrating and commemorating soldiers who landed here on d day to liberate nazi occupied france. these men changed the course of history. 99 year old donald cobb s modesty is humbling. i don t feel like a hero. i mean, wejust did what we were told. i m happy that we were able to help. 80 years on, they are still huge heroes here. it is really a lot of emotion for me. brave french men and women played their part in d day too. katharine s father and brother were members of the resistance. this street, now named after them. translation: the allies i is needed detail
the world. exactly 80 years ago, tens of thousands of allied troops mounted the greatest seaborne invasion in military history. one that would change the course of the second world war. today, d day veterans and world leaders are taking part in major commemorations in northern france. at a new memorial above gold beach, where british troops landed, the king has laying a wreath. close to where american forces encountered the fiercest german resistance, presidentjoe biden has given a speech warning that democracy in europe and around the world remains fragile. this is in the wake of russia s invasion of ukraine. the prince of walesjoined russia s invasion of ukraine. the prince of wales joined the prime minister of canada. and alongside the solemn ceremony, it has also been a chance for attendees, including the king, to meet and speak to the guests of honour, the veterans themselves, each of whom played such a crucial part in one of the defining days of european history. as you
house. we are going to stay here. there we go, let s have a listen to resident biden. president biden. mundy during the fifth 1944, the evil third reich was devastating the world, nancy germany had subjugated the once free nations of europe through brute force. lies, and twisted ideology of racial superiority. millions ofjew, in the holocaust, millions of others killed by bombs, bullets, bloody warfare. hitler and those with him fought thought democracy was weak and the future belong to dictators. here, on the coast of normandy, the battle between freedom and tyranny would be joined, here, on that morning in june, president emmanuel macron, secretary antony blinken, distinguished guests, most of all, our honoured veterans who met that test, the test of aegis in that moment 80 years ago. 80 years ago today. on behalf of the american people, as commander in chief, the highest honour to salute you in normandy once more. all of you, god love you. applause winston churchill