Brave Charles was having cancer treatment but still made it to two D-Day events – he was desperate to honour the fallen

THE King paid tribute to the "remarkable war-time generation.

Charles said: "Eighty years ago on D-Day, the 6th of June 1944, our nation - and those which stood alongside it - faced what my grandfather, King George VI, described as the supreme test.

"How fortunate we were, and the entire free world, that a generation of men and women in the United Kingdom and other allied nations did not flinch when the moment came to face that test.

"On the beaches of Normandy, on the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our armed forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination - qualities so characteristic of that remarkable war-time generation.

"Very many of them never came home, they lost their lives on the D-Day landing grounds or in the many battles that followed.

"It is with the most profound sense of gratitude that we remember them and all those who served at that critical time.

"We recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades - free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny."

Charles continued: "As the years pass, the veterans of the Normandy campaign become ever fewer in number.

"Over the past 40 years, I have had the great privilege of attending seven D-Day commemorations in Normandy and meeting so many distinguished veterans.

"Indeed, I shall never forget the haunting sight and sound of thousands of bemedaled figures proudly marching past into a French sunset on these beaches.

"Our ability to learn from their stories at first hand diminishes but our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all can never diminish."

Concluding his speech, the King spoke of his "unfailing" gratitude to those who lost their lives on D-Day 80 years ago.

Charles said: "This vital start to the liberation of Europe was a vast Allied effort.

"American, British, Canadian, French and Polish formations fought here in Normandy.

"Among the names inscribed on the walls and pillars of this memorial are men and women from more than 30 different nations and many faiths.

"United, they fought together for what my grandfather, King George VI, described as 'a world in which goodness and honour may be the foundation of the life of men in every land'.

"As we stand alongside their remaining friends and comrades on this hallowed ground, let us affirm that we will strive to live by their example, let us pray such sacrifice need never be made again and let us commit to carrying forward their resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom, tempered by the duty of responsibilities to others for the benefits of younger generations and those yet unborn.

"Our gratitude is unfailing and our admiration eternal."