Prince William has stepped in for his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, to lead the commemorative D-Day ceremony in honor of the 80th anniversary of the historic landings.
The Prince of Wales, 41, touched down at Juno Beach in Normandy, France, Thursday morning where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
Normally, the King would be expected to attend the poignant events of the day, but as Charles is continuing his cancer treatment, his son — and the heir to the throne — is deputizing for him.
Palace sources confirmed that Charles would be missing the international ceremony on the advice of doctors who are carefully monitoring his schedule.
William is set to join forces with President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Omaha Beach event later in the day.
Sources said that Charles is “delighted” that his son was able to step in for him on such an important occasion.
“While His Majesty’s doctors are very encouraged with the progress made so far, the King is continuing with his treatment program — and thus we have to prioritize and protect his continued recovery,” an insider told the Mirror.
“On that basis, each event/ day has to be carefully calibrated — and given the King’s other commitments on the day, it was advised that the international event later in the afternoon may be a step too far at this stage.”
“He is of course delighted that the Prince of Wales will be attending to represent the nation,” the source added.
Earlier Thursday, William attended the Canadian commemorative ceremony at the Juno Beach Center at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France.
Proudly wearing five medals strapped to his chest, the future King delivered a poignant speech, saying he was “honored” to be there to pay respects to “the bravery and sacrifice of the Canadian troops.”
“Standing here today in peaceful silence, it is almost impossible to grasp the courage it would have taken to run into the fury of battle that day,” William said.
“The assault on D-Day remains the most ambitious military operation in history. The events of that windy, grey day, ultimately led to the liberation of Europe, but it came at heavy cost.”
Addressing the surviving veterans, William said, “All of you demonstrated heroism, and determination, that ensured fascism was conquered.”
“Canada and the UK continue to stand, side by side as we did in 1944. Just as strong together, 80 years later,” he continued.
“Ensuring the memory of those who fought for freedom lives on is why we’ve come together again today – to say thank you. Thank you for our freedom, and thank you for your service.”
William concluded his speech in French, repeating the last sentence, “Merci pour notre liberte, et merci pour votre service.”
At the same time, Charles and Queen Camilla attended the British memorial event at Ver-Sur-Mer, Normandy, organized by the British Royal Legion.
“It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all who served at that critical time,” Charles said in his speech.
The King was then seen greeting several veterans before he and Camilla head home to the UK later today.
Charles will now be taking a brief break from royal duties over the weekend, and shifting his focus onto next week’s Trooping the Colour ceremony in London.
Charles, Camilla, and William all appeared together at Wednesday’s commemorative ceremony held in Portsmouth, south of England, to honor veterans.