Trump joins the Queen to honour D-Day veterans

The Queen today paid tribute to ‘my generation’ as she saluted D-Day heroes at a 75th anniversary event where a British veteran received a standing ovation from the monarch and Donald Trump.

More than 300 men who survived the invasion of France in 1944 were guests of honour and a group of veterans stood and saluted the thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting Hitler’s Germany on Normandy’s beaches. 

Theresa May, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and Justin Trudeau were among the politicians who gathered in Portsmouth today – exactly 75 years after US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, gave the final order to invade German-occupied France with the message: ‘The eyes of the world are upon you’. 

Sergeant John Jenkins MBE, 99, who was born and raised in the Hampshire city, was in the Pioneer Corps on D-Day and landed on Gold Beach on June 8, and gave a moving, humble and funny speech that brought world leaders and royalty to their feet.

He said: ‘I was 23 years old when I landed on Gold Beach. I was terrified, I think everyone was. I  was just a small part in a very big machine. You never forget your comrades because we were all in it together’.

He added: ‘It is right that the courage and sacrifice of so many is being honoured 75 years on. We must never forget.’

Afterwards the Queen paid tribute to the ‘resilient wartime generation’ – she called ‘my generation’ – and said: ‘Seventy-five years ago, hundreds of thousands of young soldiers, sailors and airmen left these shores in the cause of freedom. 

‘Many of them would never return, and the heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten. It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country – indeed the whole free world – that I say to you all, thank you. 

A flypast of Spitfires, Hurricanes and Red Arrows streaked across the sky at the end of the moving ceremony, where Prince Charles was seen wiping his eyes. 

Afterwards Mr Trump met D-Day veterans with the Queen before the President said farewell and thanked her for his three-day state visit telling her: ‘It was a great honour to be with you’was heard saying: ‘Great woman. Great, great woman’. Her Majesty was heard saying back: ‘I hope you come to this country again’.

The Queen, Mr Trump and Prince Charles met with six veterans following the ceremony.

In a small reception also attended by the First Lady, Donald Trump told the veterans of his honour to meet them.

Thomas Cuthbert, 93, said of the president: “He came across very well, he surprised me, he seemed one of the boys.”

Mr Trump sat next to the Queen and Prince Charles and they smiled and chatted surrounded by the leaders of all the Allied nations who took part in Operation Overlord – the codename for D-Day.

The President read excerpts of a prayer, broadcast across the United States by his predecessor Franklin D. Roosevelt on the night of the D-Day invasion, before French President Macron rose to thank those who fought to liberate his country from Hitler’s grip. 

Mr Trump said: ‘Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavour, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilisation, and to set free a suffering humanity.’

Afterwards Her Majesty, Prince Charles, the President and First Lady Melania met D-Day veterans and their families, many of whom will be heading back to Normandy this evening.

Tens of thousands of people also gathered at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common for the event which marks the anniversary of the biggest amphibious invasion in military history.

75 years ago today – June 5 1944 – US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, gave the final order to invade German-occupied France with the message: ‘The eyes of the world are upon you’. 

Within hours the allied fleet of 2,700 ships was sent out of British ports all along the south of England – the biggest armada the world had ever seen – with the area around the Isle of Wight nicknamed ‘Piccadilly Circus’ – before sailing across the Channel as paratroopers were dropped into France.

From dawn on June 6 – known as the Longest Day – 156,000 troops stormed Normandy’s beaches and smashed Hitler’s Nazis, turning the Second World War in the allies’ favour and leading to the liberation of Europe a year later.

It is considered the turning point of the Second World War – but Operation Overlord also led to to the deaths of thousands on both sides, with tens of thousands more injured.    

The President is on the third day of his state visit to Britain and is taking part in a ceremony on the south coast with the allies who helped defeat Hitler after a whirlwind 48 hours where he attended a glittering state banquet at Buckingham Palace and held talks in Downing Street. 

Theresa May is making her final official appearances as the British Prime Minister during the D-Day commemorations which continue on Thursday across Normandy.

She read a letter from Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps, to his wife Gladys on June 3, 1944.

The letter was in his pocket when he landed on Normandy’s Sword Beach on D-Day but he was killed the following day, leaving his wife and two young daughters.

Reading the letter Mrs May said: ‘My darling this is a very difficult letter for me to write. As you know something may happen at any moment and I cannot tell when you will receive this.

‘I had hoped to be able to see you during last weekend but it was impossible to get away and all the things I intended to say must be written. I’m sure that anyone with imagination must dislike the thought of what’s coming, but my fears will be more of being afraid than of what can happen to me.

‘You and I have had some lovely years which now seemed to have passed at lightning speed. My thoughts at this moment, in this lovely Saturday afternoon, are with you all now’.

World leaders representing the Allied nations who took part in the D-Day landings also attended, including French president Emmanuel Macron, prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump, who is coming to the end of a three-day state visit to the UK.

Other guests included Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, prime minister Charles Michel from Belgium, the Czech Republic’s prime minister Andrej Babis and president Prokopis Pavlopoulos from Greece. Chancellor Angela Merkel represented Germany.

The PM of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel also attended, as did his counterparts from the Netherlands Mark Rutte, Norway’s Erna Solberg, Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki and Slovakia’s deputy prime minister Richard Rasi.

They all met the Queen before the event began – a first for Mr Macron – and then posed for a group photograph with the monarch and Prince of Wales. 

The next segment of the event saw a tribute to the agents of the Special Operations Executive which supported the French Resistance.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron read the last letter of a young resistance fighter Henri Fertet, executed at just 16 years old.

Before he began he said: ‘First, let me thank you sincerely, on behalf of my nation.’

Speaking in French he read the letter, saying: ‘My dear parents, My letter is going to cause you great sorrow, but I have seen you so full of courage in the past that I do not doubt that you will remain courageous, if only out of love for me.

‘I am going to die for my country. I want France to be free and the French to be happy. I do not want France to be arrogant and the world’s leading nation but hard-working, industrious and honest.’

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau read the Victoria Cross citation of Lieutenant-Colonel Cecil Merritt, the first Canadian to be awarded the medal for gallantry and inspired leadership during the disastrous raid on Dieppe in 1942.

Later actress Sheridan Smith performed Second World War song When the Lights Go On Again, that expresses hopes for an end to the war across the world.

As she sang black and white wartime images were shown on a huge screen behind her.

Actor David Haig performed an extract from his play Pressure.

It tells the story of the weather forecaster for D-Day, Scottish meteorologist, Group Captain James Stagg, who persuaded military chiefs to delay the huge assault because of a predicted storm.

The spectators saw the key scene from the play when the decision is taken on June 3, 1944 to postpone the D-Day after Haig, playing Stagg, tells the assembled senior officers he predicted a ‘storm of unprecedented malignancy’.

Haig is best known for the film Four Weddings And A Funeral and BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line. 

Actor and author Celia Imrie narrated the event and began by introducing a segment on the fall of Europe and the start of the Second World War when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.

She said the scene in Southsea ahead of D-Day, 75 years ago, was very different from today: ‘This was no green and open land but a sea of uniform and an ocean of men.

‘Seventy-five years later we are honoured to be joined by over 300 veterans of Operation Overlord.

‘They bravely risked their lives for our today and to them we show our profound appreciation.’

An extract from Second World War leader Winston Churchill’s famous ‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches’ speech was played: ‘We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; We shall never surrender.’  

The audience were entertained by the Tri-Service Orchestra who performed a medley of music from the 1940s before the event began.

They were also treated to the spectacle of a guard of honour, formed of military personnel from Royal Navy, Army and RAF marching through the spectator aisles and onto the main stage.

The Queen’s arrival in the royal box was signalled by a fanfare from musicians from the Band of the Royal Marines and the Tri-Service orchestra performed the national anthem.

The orchestra performed John Williams’ Hymn to the Fallen which opens the D-Day based war film Saving Private Ryan, and has become associated with Second World War remembrance and memorials.

Meanwhile, hundreds of veterans are flocking to northern France and Portsmouth as well as to events around the country to mark the occasion.

On Wednesday Mrs May will host 15 world leaders and representatives in the Hampshire port city.

The event will be the first time the UK has hosted this many world leaders outside a formal summit since the 2012 Olympics.

A mass security operation has been launched in the wake of Mr Trump’s attendance at the event – as part of his UK state visit.

Some critics have claimed his presence draws focus away from the veterans.

Representatives from every country that fought alongside the UK in Operation Overlord – the Battle of Normandy – will attend commemorations as well as The Prince of Wales, members of the armed forces and the veterans who are all over 90 years old.

Joining Mrs May will also be French president Emmanuel Macron, the German chancellor Angela Merkel as well as prime ministers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and Denmark.

Mrs May is expected to describe the landings as a ‘moment of historic international cooperation’ in which veterans fought for liberty and peace.

She will call for unity in western Europe, adding: ‘The global challenges we face today are different in their origin and nature. But as we confront new and evolving threats to our security it is more important than ever that we continue to stand together in upholding our shared values and way of life.

‘As I host leaders from around the world today to mark this significant moment in our shared history, we will together reflect on the continued importance of the western alliance for all our countries’ security and prosperity.’

An hour-long production telling the story of the invasion will be played to the crowds featuring testimony from veterans before theatrical performances, live music as well as a flypast of the Red Arrows and Spitfires take place.

As part of the performance Mrs May will read a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps to his wife Gladys on 3 June 1944. The letter was in his pocket when he landed on Sword Beach on June 6 1944. He was killed the next day, leaving behind his wife and two young daughters.

Afterwards world leaders will meet to discuss the western alliance and security after a reception with veterans.

From the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Mrs May and Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt will wave off the crowds of veterans who are set to retrace the journey they made across the channel 75 years ago. This time they will be followed by a flotilla of Royal Navy vessels.

More than 4,000 personnel will be involved in D-Day events in the UK and France, in what is set to be one of the biggest mobilisations of the UK Armed Forces in recent history.

Later in the afternoon veterans Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94, will parachute into Normandy in honour of comrades they lost when they first made the descent 75 years ago.

Alongside around 280 paratroopers they will take part in the jump onto fields at Sannerville – the drop zone for the 8th Midlands Parachute Battalion during D-Day.

In the evening, a vigil and silent march will take place at Pegasus Bridge which was the scene of a 15-minute skirmish to take hold of the pathways over the Caen Canal and River Orne. This was one of the first places British troops liberated on D-Day.

Last night Mr Trump hosted Prince Charlesn and Camilla at an intimate 60-person black tie dinner at the official residence of the US Ambassador, Winfield House in Regent’s Park. 

In contrast to the sophisticated Palace menu which included steamed halibut and strawberry sable, – and was served with a £2,000-a-bottle Chateau Lafite – last night’s fare was closer to the heart of the teetotal President with a taste for plain food: beef, potatoes, ice cream, and £30-a-bottle Californian red wine.  

Charles and Camilla were guests of the US Ambassador to the UK, Robert ‘Woody’ Johnson and his wife Suzanne Ircha, at their official residence for what is known as a ‘return dinner’ in honour of the US president.

The Trumps patiently waited outside for Charles and Camilla to arrive before they swept up in a chauffeur-driven car. Camilla looked elegant in in a white evening gown by Fiona Clare with a pretty embroidered overlay and a bejewelled necklace – a contrast to Melania’s striking red cape-style £5,610 Givenchy gown and loose, dark locks.

President Trump’s children also joined the dinner, Ivanka wearing a white off-the-shoulder gown and her hair in a chignon. His younger daughter, Tiffany, wore a grey full-length dress.

Normally the Lord Mayor of London would hold his own banquet on the second night of a state visit by a foreign leader.

But when it comes to US presidents, it has become something of a tradition for the royals to dine at the glorious 1930s Grade II-listed Winfield House in Regent’s Park.

Guests at the black tie dinner dined on fresh burrata cheese with heritage tomatoes, basil, and Maldon salt; then grilled fillet of beef with pommes Anna, watercress pure, celeriac and chantenay carrots; followed by summer berries, homemade vanilla ice cream with Muscovado sugar tuile.

The setting was far more intimate than for the state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Monday night. The house’s dining room was set with six tables each with around ten places.

Mr Trump sat on one table with Charles and Theresa May on either side of him. There were no speeches, unlike the previous evening, but the prince and the President both gave brief toasts.

Earlier on Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May gave the president a private tour of the underground bunker where Winston Churchill led the country during the Second World War. 

Mr Trump was presented with a framed typescript draft of the 1941 Atlantic Charter, agreed by president Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sir Winston, that set out their vision for the post-war world. 

Trump and First Lady Melania landed at Buckingham Palace at lunchtime after flying into Stansted in the morning following an overnight flight in Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC.

Hundreds of thousands of anti-Trump protesters have promised to bring London to a standstill – but they have so far failed to materialise as 20,000 police officers swamped the capital.  

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn led demonstrations in the capital today, after boycotting the State Banquet last night.  

One Donald Trump supporter was doused in milkshake by angry protesters. The semi-retired grandfather, who wishes to withhold his name, told MailOnline he was peacefully debating with ‘moderate lefties’ and ‘having a laugh with the majority of them’ before the demonstration turned violent.

Video footage from the scene shows a number of anti-Trump marchers shouting ‘Nazi scum’ at the Londoner before throwing the cold beverage at him.

The man then says he is ‘here to stay’ before throwing the cup back at protesters as one police officer attempts to stop the incident from turning into a brawl.  

The ugly scenes followed an evening of pomp and pageantry on Monday night, when the Royals hosted Trump for a State Banquet.  

The Queen granted the President the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon a visiting world leader in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace.

Both spoke of the special relationship between the US and the UK as the countries look to commemorate those who gave their lives on D-Day in World War Two. 

In front of about 170 guests, Trump thanked the monarch for her ‘gracious hospitality’ and ‘nearly seven decades’ of personal friendship with the United States.

He spoke of the Blitz and the bombing of Buckingham Palace, saying that ‘in their dark hour the people of this nation showed the world what it means to be British’.

Praising the Queen a ‘great, great woman’, Trump recalled her service on the Home Front during the war, and said ‘the bond between our nations was forever sealed in that great crusade’. He said the Queen embodied ‘the spirit of dignity, duty, and patriotism that beats proudly in every British heart’.

Raising his glass the 45th President of the United States said: ‘On behalf of all Americans, I offer a toast to the eternal friendship of our people, the vitality of our nations and to the long cherished and truly remarkable reign of Her Majesty, the Queen.’

Piers Morgan presents a delighted Donald Trump with a Churchill hat – as the President reveals all about his state visit including Charles’ climate change lecture, how Harry ‘couldn’t have been nicer’ and what he REALLY thinks of Meghan

Donald Trump donned a hat made famous by Sir Winston Churchill today but admitted Britain’s greatest prime minister ‘looked much better’ as he revealed the secrets of his state visit.

The President looked delighted as he put on the Lock & Co black hat – monochromed with his initials ‘DJT’ – given as a gift by Piers Morgan at the end of a world exclusive interview with Good Morning Britain this morning.

The leader of the free world’s conversation with Piers is his only one-to-one with either a UK or US network during his historic three-day state visit to Britain this week. 

Paying tribute to Mr Churchill as Britain, America and other allies commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day today, Mr Trump said: ‘He’s right up there. He would certainly be a hero’, adding there are ‘similarities’ between the two leaders.

He said: ‘He was able to handle pressure very well. Hitler was unstoppable at the time – he was going through countries like cheese. He was calling Roosevelt saying: ‘You gotta get in, you gotta get in’. He was a great man who reacted so well under the gun, under pressure. There are not many people like that’. 

In their 33-minute chat inside Churchill’s War Rooms in Westminster Mr Trump revealed that Prince Charles spoke passionately for almost 90-minutes about saving the environment.

But it appears he still needs some convincing on climate change and said: ‘I believe there is a change in weather and that it changes both ways. Don’t forget, it used to be called global warming, that wasn’t working, then it was called climate change, now it’s actually called extreme weather’.

The President also spoke warmly of ‘terrific guy’ Prince Harry, and denied the Royal had avoided him at Buckingham Palace.  He also returned to his remarks about Meghan Markle, who branded him a misogynist in 2016, saying she ‘was nasty to me – and that’s OK’. 

The leader of the free world was also open about why he refused to meet Jeremy Corbyn, that he would not demand access to the NHS for US companies as the price of a US/UK trade deal and spoke out about gun control and considering going to war with Iran as well as being willing to use America’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. 

And when asked about gun control in the US he hit back at the UK’s knife crime epidemic and said: ‘I read an article where everyone’s being stabbed. They said your hospital [sic] is a sea of blood – all over the floors’. 

In his world exclusive interview with Piers Morgan the President revealed:

• The state banquet with the Queen was one of the highlights of his life and his late mother Mary ‘would have been proud’ because ‘she loved’ the British monarch;
• Access to the NHS would not form part of any US/UK trade deal;
• Prince Charles confronted him about climate change and the President revealed: ‘We were going to have a 15 minute chat, and it turned out into an hour and a half. He did much of the talking’;
• He would be willing to go to war with Iran – but would also be willing to meet President Rouhani if it increases the chance of peace; 
• POTUS defended his decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military and said: ‘You have to have a standard and you have to stick by that standard’
• When asked about gun control in the US he hit back at the UK and said: ‘I read an article where everyone’s being stabbed.. They said your hospital [sic] is a sea of blood – all over the floors’

Mr Trump spoke at length about the reported rift with Duke and Duchess of Sussex and his good relationship with the Queen, who was a hero to his British mother Mary. 

He denied that Prince Harry avoided him at Buckingham Palace – calling him a ‘terrific guy’ – and described Meghan Markle as ‘nice’ and ‘doing a good job’ while also admitting she had been ‘nasty’ to him.

In 2016 Meghan described Mr Trump as a ‘misogynist’ and ‘divisive’ and said she would consider leaving her native America if he was elected president.

The President told Piers Morgan: ‘She was nasty to me. And that’s OK for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t.’ He went on: ‘You know what? She’s doing a good job, I hope she enjoys her life… I think she’s very nice.’ 

The US President played down claims Harry tried to avoid him at Buckingham Palace on Monday after he was reported to have criticised Meghan for making negative remarks about him in the past.

He said: ‘No, no, no, just the opposite. In fact, he spent a lot of time talking to Ivanka and talking to my family. I went up – he couldn’t have been nicer. Couldn’t have been nicer. I think he’s great.’ 

Mr Trump also revealed that Prince Charles had given him an impassioned address on the environment and the President said: ‘We were going to have a 15 minute chat, and it turned out into an hour and a half. He did most of the talking’.

Ahead of his visit to Britain, Mr Trump was said to have called Prince Harry’s ‘nasty’ in a newspaper interview. 

Mr Trump said he got a chance to speak to Harry on his visit to the palace this week, adding: ‘I congratulated him and I think he’s a terrific guy. The Royal Family is really nice.’ 

Piers Morgan asked him: ‘Did he say: ‘Come on – do you think my wife’s nasty?’ 

Mr Trump replied: ‘We didn’t talk about it… I was going to because it was so falsely put out there. And when you see that transcript and you see, it’s the exact opposite of what they said.’

It came after Harry, 34, appeared reluctant to be pictured with Mr Trump when he visited Buckingham Palace’s Picture Gallery for a display of US-themed artefacts on Monday. 

He quickly disappeared into the background and did not follow other members of the Royal Family as they walked round the exhibition with the president and his party.  

When told Meghan had made critical comments about him, Mr Trump told The Sun: ‘What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty.’ But Mr Trump later denied making the comment.

Yesterday he tried to set the record straight in an interview with Piers Morgan for today’s ITV’s Good Morning Britain at the Churchill War Rooms in central London. 

Mr Trump said that he would prefer to make peace with Iran by and would be willing to meet the country’s President Hassan Rouhani.

But when asked if he would go to war with Iran he said: ‘I don’t want to but there is always a chance.’ 

The President also said that Jeremy Corbyn had tried to meet with him but that it wasn’t possible. 

Piers asked him if he could imagine doing a trade deal with the UK with Corbyn as PM, with Trump replying: ‘it’s always possible. Anything is possible.

‘I don’t know him. He wanted to meet, it was a very tough to meet and probably inappropriate to be, to be honest with you. 

‘A lot of things are happening right now with respect to our country and your country, my country and let’s call the almost the same because I feel that way, it’s really a tremendous relationship. 

‘So, I didn’t think it was appropriate to meet him, but I would. I certainly would have no problem with it. 

‘I think it’s a long shot when you say that, you know, I don’t, I don’t think it’s going to happen.’

He also rowed back on remarks from a press conference earlier today at which he said that the NHS would be on the table in trade deal talks. 

‘I don’t see it being on the table,’ he told Piers. ‘Somebody asked me a question today and I say everything is up for negotiation, because everything is. But I don’t see that as being, that something that I would not consider part of trade. That’s not trade.’ 

On Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Donald Trump said it was ‘OK’ for the Duchess of Sussex to make ‘nasty’ comments about him as he sought to clear the air with the American-born royal.

He also insisted that her husband, Prince Harry, ‘couldn’t have been nicer’ towards him during his state visit to the UK.   

Asked point blank if he thought Meghan Markle was ‘nasty’ or not, President Trump replied: ‘They said some of the things that she said and It’s actually on tape. And I said: ‘Well, I didn’t know she was nasty’. I wasn’t referring to she’s nasty. I said she was nasty about me. And essentially I didn’t know she was nasty about me.’

He went on to say: ‘You know what? She’s doing a good job, I hope she enjoys her life… I think she’s very nice.’

Pressed by Piers to clear up the statement he made earlier about the Duchess unequivocally , he added: ‘… she was nasty to me. And that’s okay for her to be nasty, it’s not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn’t…’

He also said that he had spoken to Prince Harry and what he said to the young royal at a recent meeting.

Piers asked, ‘Did you get a chance to talk to Prince Harry?’

President Trump replied: ‘I did, I did and I congratulated him and I think he’s a terrific guy. The Royal Family is really nice.’

Piers added: ‘Did he say: ‘Come on – do you think my wife’s nasty?’

POTUS replied: ‘We didn’t talk about it…I was going to because it was so falsely put out there. And when you see that transcript and you see, it’s the exact opposite of what they said. Did you look at the transcript?’

Talking about Harry’s behaviour, he added Prince Harry had been far from frosty, saying of the rumours that he didn’t want to talk to him: ‘…No, no, no, just the opposite. In fact, he spent a lot of time talking to Ivanka and talking to my family. I went up – he couldn’t have been nicer. Couldn’t have been nicer… I think he’s great.’

On the Queen   

Donald Trump said he watched the Queen’s coronation in 1953 when he was six-years-old with his mother Mary, who was born and raised in Scotland.  

‘Well she would have been very proud. She would’ve never thought in terms of ‘president’ because I never talked in terms of running for president. I decided to do it and I won. I said to a couple of people: ‘I think I’m going to do it’ and then I said to my wife: ‘I think I’ll give it a shot.’ She said: ‘You know you’ll win.’

‘But I will say that my mother would have been very proud. She was a tremendous fan of this country and she was… she loved Scotland. She grew up in Stornoway. She left at 19 for New York, she met my father and they were married for…

‘She loved the Royals, she loved the Queen. And I always noticed, whenever anything was on about the Queen she would watch. She was a big fan of this…I told her [The Queen] last night. She was very honoured. But my mother would always… she just had great respect. She understood. My mother understood people very well. She knew people. And she got it right from the beginning. The Queen is a great lady and my mother knew that.’ 

Was yesterday the greatest experience of your life?

‘I’ve been through some pretty big things. I watched the news and heard ‘he’s never had to handle things like this’ when I was due to walk into Buckingham Palace.

‘It’s right up there.’

What did you discuss with the Queen? 

‘We had a long conversation, an hour and a half. But I can’t tell you about that as I’ve heard we’re not allowed to.

‘I think I’m on good behaviour most of the time. I really got what the media were saying, [about visiting the Palace being a huge moment] especially when you were talking in with the Queen, very slowly and with that certain music.’

Prince Charles and climate change   

President Trump revealed that Prince Charles stressed the importance of protecting the environment for future generations in their meeting. The pair had a long conversation in which the royal shared his views.

The President explained: ‘We were going to have a 15-minute chat. And it turned out to be an hour and a half. And he did most of the talking. He is really into climate change, and I think that’s great, I mean I want that, I like that’

Piers asked whether Trump had listened to what the Prince had to say. Replied Trump: ‘What he really wants, and what he really feels warmly about is the future. He wants to make sure future generations have climate that is good climate as opposed to a disaster. And I agree.

‘I did mention a couple of things, I did say, ‘Well the United States right now has among the cleanest climates there are, based on all statistics, and it’s even getting better,’ Because I agree with that, I want the best water, the cleanest water. Crystal clean – it has to be crystal clean…’

Piers then expressed that people want to hear that the President understands that ‘climate change is a very real and present danger’. Said Piers: ‘And if we don’t tackle it now – and America has to lead the way along with China and India – then we’re going to be in serious trouble’

Replied Trump: ‘Well you know, you just said it. China, India, Russia, many other nations they have not very good air, not very good water in the sense of pollution and cleanliness. If you go to certain cities, I’m not going to name cities, but I can. If you go to certain cities you can’t even breathe and now that air is going up, so if we have a clean, in terms of a planet, we’re talking about a very small, you know, very small distance, between China and the US, or other countries.

Piers went on, ‘Were you able to give Prince Charles any comfort, that you as the United States President are taking this seriously.’

Said Trump: ‘I think I was yeah. I think, I think we had a great conversation and it was about, as you would call it, climate change, but, I think we had a very, very good time.

Piers also asked Trump whether Prince Charles had moved him.

Trump continued: ‘I’ll tell you what moved me is his passion for future generations he’s really not doing this for him. He’s doing this for future generations. He wants to have a world that’s good for future generations.’

‘Now he’s Prince Charles, he doesn’t have to worry about future generations in theory, unless he’s a very good person who cares about people. And that’s what impressed me, maybe the most, his love for this world.’ 

On Iran

Donald Trump admitted that he would be willing to go to war with Iran – but would also meet its leader President Rouhani.  

‘Iran was a place that was very hostile when I came into office. They were a terrorist nation.

‘Obama did a terrible deal because it was a short-term deal. We paid with more than £50billion in cash.’

Would you go to war with Iran?

‘I don’t want to but there is always a chance.’

Will you talk with Rouhani?

‘Of course. I’ve said that and he’s said that. I know so much about nuclear weapons and I see the horrible damage done. I don’t want that.’

Would you press the nuclear weapon button?

‘I think it’s a terrible responsibility but one I’m prepared to handle.’

Will you talk with Rouhani? Would you jaw jaw with him?

‘You’re talking about talk? Yeah. I’ve said that and he’s said that. I know so much about nuclear weapons – don’t forget that I’m the one that gets trained and has to study this – and I see the horrible damage done. I don’t want that.’

On pressing the nuclear button

‘I think it’s a terrible responsibility but one I’m prepared to handle. I don’t want to have to think about it, but there may be a time when I do have to think about it.’

On banning transgender people from the armed forces and not serving in Vietnam

Transgender service had been barred until President Barack Obama’s changed the rule. Donald Trump announced a policy changes of his own on Twitter in July 2017 that were later officially codified by the Pentagon and then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis.  

Why don’t you allow transgender people to serve?

‘Because they take massive amounts of drugs, they have to. And if you’re in the military you’re not allowed to take any drugs. They have to after the operation, they have no choice. And you’d have to break rules and regulations to have that.’

But the medical bills are very low. Isn’t it unnecessary?

‘It is what it is. Massive amounts. Also people were going in and asking for the operation. Then they take large amounts of drugs after that, you can’t do that. So when it came to the decision on that, the cost of the drugs and operations, you couldn’t do that.

‘You have to have a standard and you have to stick to that standard. You have very strict rules and regulations on drugs and prescription drugs and they blow it out of the water.’

Do you wished you’d served in Vietnam?

‘I was never a fan of that war. I thought it was a terrible war, it was very far away.

‘Nobody had heard of Vietnam… this wasn’t like fighting against Nazi Germany or Hitler. I wasn’t out on the streets marching or saying I would move to Canada but I wasn’t a fan.

‘I would have been honoured [to serve in the military generally] but I think I’m making up for it now because we’re rebuilding our military at a level you’ve never seen before.’

Is it not beneath you to attack John McCain when he’s dead?

‘I don’t attack him. I didn’t bring his name up, you did. I was not a fan, I didn’t like what he did to healthcare or veterans. But Piers, you’re asking me a question, if you didn’t ask me about John McCain I wouldn’t talk about him.

‘I didn’t know anything about the battleship and I’m not even sure if it happened. I hear it’s fake news, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But again, I don’t talk about John McCain unless someone asks me about him.’

On Jeremy Corbyn

Piers Morgan also quizzed the President on whether he could see himself doing a trade deal with Jeremy Corbyn if he became Prime Minister, after he declined to meet the Labour leader during his trip to the UK.

Asked by Piers, ‘Could you imagine actually doing a trade deal with Britain, with someone like Jeremy Corbyn as a leader?’, Trump replied: ‘It’s always possible. Anything is possible.

‘I don’t know him. He wanted to meet, it was a very tough to meet and probably inappropriate to be, to be honest with you. A lot of things are happening right now with respect to our country and your country, my country and let’s call the almost the same because I feel that way, it’s really a tremendous relationship. So, I didn’t think it was appropriate to meet him, but I would. I certainly would have no problem with it.

‘I think it’s a long shot when you say that, you know, I don’t, I don’t think it’s going to happen.’ 

UK knife crime vs US gun crime

‘But in London you have stabbings. I read an article… they said your hospital is a sea of blood.

‘But Piers, when somebody has a gun illegally and the others don’t they have no chance. The bad guys are not getting rid of their guns. The people who obey the laws are sitting ducks. The thing I think about the most is Paris… if there was a gun on the other side…’

Why do you need AR-15?

‘A lot of them use them for entertainment, they do. They go out to ranges and shoot them.’

‘If the [Vegas] guy didn’t have guns he’d have used bombs or something else. The guy was very clever and a successful gambler… Then he went out and did that […].’

Piers claims he convinced him to ban bump stocks. What do you think about silencers?

‘I’d like to think about [banning silencers]. I’m going to seriously look at it. I don’t like the idea of it, what’s happening is crazy.’

On the next US election  

Will you win the next election?

‘I’m running on maybe the greatest economy we’ve ever had… I’m in the midst of several trade negotiations where I have the cards. I have the cards on Mexico… so I have a lot of things that we’re working on.

‘I don’t see any Democrats to worry about, there are no Winston Churchills in the group, let’s put it that way.

‘When I took over Isis was all over the place now we’ve taken over 100percent of the caliphate.’

On the NHS 

Piers asked: ‘No leader, no leader it seems to me, would allow Britain to effectively sell the NHS as part of a trade deal. Would you as the American President see that as ‘deal breaker’ if none of the NHS was on the table?’

The President replied: ‘I don’t see it being on the table. Somebody asked me a question today and I say everything is up for negotiation, because everything is. But I don’t see that as being, that something that I would not consider part of trade. That’s not trade.’ 

Veteran recreates D-Day drop alongside modern-day paratroopers as the skies above Normandy darken again with planes and parachutes 75 years on

A 97-year-old US veteran has parachuted into Normandy today 75 years after he made the same journey on D-Day.

Tom Rice, from San Diego, California, was among some 200 parachutists who filled the Normandy skies of France for the 75th anniversary of the invasion as they leapt from vintage C-47 Dakota planes in what was a moving sight.

They were honouring the airborne soldiers who jumped into gunfire and death ahead of the June 6, 1944, seaborne invasion. Their engines throbbing, the C-47 transporters dropped group after group of parachutists.

Mr Rice jumped in a tandem into roughly the same area he landed in on D-Day near Carentan, a town among the main targets for the paratroopers. He said: ‘It went perfect, perfect jump. I feel great. I’d go up and do it all again.’ 

They jumped from the C-47s in Second World War colours and other aircraft, aiming for fields of wild flowers on the edge of the town, in one of the early objectives for Allied troops who invaded from the air and sea. 

Today, thousands of veterans joined a service in remembrance of the landings in Normandy, while world leaders including President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May gathered for an event in Portsmouth.

Considered a turning point in the Second World War, Operation Overlord saw thousands killed and injured. Mrs May will be making her final official appearances as the British Prime Minister during the commemorations.

Other parachute jumps marking the 75th anniversary are planned involving British veterans at Sannerville. Mr Rice, who had been training for six months, said the original jump on D-Day was ‘the worst jump I ever had’.

Like many other veterans, Mr Rice said he remains troubled by the war. ‘We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure,’ he said. ‘You can close the issue now.’

He added: ‘I got my left armpit caught in the lower left hand corner of the door so I swung out came back and hit the side of the aircraft swung out again and came back and I just tried to straighten my arm out and I got free.’

Some 60,000 members of the public are expected to attend the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common for the event which marks the 75th anniversary of the biggest amphibious invasion in military history.

Considered a turning point in the Second World War, Operation Overlord saw thousands killed and injured. Mrs May will be making her final official appearances as the British Prime Minister during the commemorations.

Among the jumpers at Carentan today was due be American D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97, who jumped into Normandy with thousands of other parachutists on June 6, 1944 and recalled it as ‘the worse jump I ever had.’

Mr Rice jumped in tandem with another parachutist and had been training for six months. Other parachute jumps marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion are planned involving British veterans at Sannerville.  

Like many other veterans, Mr Rice said he remains troubled by the war. ‘We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure,’ he said. ‘You can close the issue now.’

He added: ‘I got my left armpit caught in the lower left hand corner of the door so I swung out came back and hit the side of the aircraft swung out again and came back and I just tried to straighten my arm out and I got free.’  

Thousands of people watched today as the jumpers softly floated through the bright skies. Many spectators wore Second World War-era uniforms and music of the time played over loudspeakers, giving the display a 1940s air.  

With the throb of their engines rumbling through cloudy skies, the C-47 transport planes in Second World War colors dropped sticks of jumpers with round canopies reminiscent of those used by airborne forces in 1944. 

Meanwhile, US Army Rangers climbed the jagged cliffs of Normandy’s Pointe du Hoc near Utah Beach today to honour the men who scaled them 75 years ago in a valiant D-Day assault.

Elderly veterans looked on this morning as members of the 75th Ranger Regiment started mounting the limestone promontory at dawn, pulling themselves up on ropes one by one, seagulls swooping above them.

They recreated a journey taken by the US Army’s 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions to destroy Nazi guns, preparing the way for Allied troops landing on beaches a few miles up the coast to break Hitler’s stranglehold on France.

Of the 235 men who took on the cliffs in 1944, only 90 were fit for battle two days later. Today’s event was part of extensive ceremonies in France and Britain marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. 

Elsewhere, divers today laid a wreath on the bed of the English Channel in a poignant tribute to a group of soldiers who died on the eve of D-Day, as world leaders prepare to converge to commemorate the 75th anniversary. 

The ring of poppies was left among the remains of seven DD Valentine tanks that fell off a boat and sank during a disastrous practice run of the landings in April 1944, claiming the lives of six Royal Dragoon Guards members. 

Exercise Smash simulated the landing of thousands of armoured vehicles on the Normandy beaches, but the disaster at Studland Bay in Dorset persuaded commanders to scrap the plans and land them further on shore.   

The early morning tribute to the victims of Exercise Smash was organised by Paul Pettitt, 53, who has campaigned for the tanks to get special protection and enlisted the help of local divers.

Mr Pettitt said: ‘Over 20 divers went out and laid wreaths on each of the tanks. Divers came from each of the major training agencies and as well as club boats we were supported by two local dive skippers, Pete Williams and Trevor Small.

‘Clubs that took part were Isle of Purbeck Sub Aqua Club, Flippas n Fins, Arnewood Sub Aqua Club, Southsea Sub Aqua Club and also a serving member from the Royal Dragoon Guards. 

‘It was a great success as we managed to lay wreaths on all the six tanks where we think men may have been lost. We tried to visit the seventh tank but it was too rough.’

The sandy shoreline of Studland Bay was chosen for a live-firing practice for D-Day because it was almost identical to the beaches at Normandy.

The surrounding area was largely unpopulated so it was seen as safe to fire into land without the risk of harming civilians. At dawn on April 4, 1944 the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards launched their floating Valentine tanks.

The weather soon deteriorated and the tanks were overcome by the waves and sank 60ft to the seabed, with six servicemen all drowning in deaths that were kept secret for decades. 

But a memorial to those who died – Lieutenant C Gould, Sergeant V Hartley, Corporals Arthur Park and V Townson and Troopers A Kirby and E Petty – was erected to mark the 60th anniversary in 2004, 60ft beneath the waves.    

The last of a heroic breed: 300 D-Day veterans gather in Portsmouth and are saluted by spectacular Red Arrows flypast, 75 years after ships set off to liberate Europe in Operation Overlord

Veterans today spoke of their pride at attending the D-Day 75th anniversary event along with world leaders, describing it as an emotional chance to remember their comrades who did not return.

The 300 veterans in Portsmouth have been joined by more than 4,000 personnel involved in D-Day events in the UK and France today in what is one of the biggest mobilisations of the UK Armed Forces in recent history. 

The memorial in Portsmouth featured an hour-long production telling the story of the invasion and a spectacular flypast by RAF warplanes past and present, including a display by the Red Arrows and Spitfires.  

Other events included a ceremony at Pegasus Bridge in France – the scene of a 15-minute skirmish to take hold of the pathways over the Caen Canal and River Orne, and one of the first places British troops liberated on D-Day.

This was attended by D-Day veterans including Reg Charles, 96, the last surviving member of a heroic glider assault on the bridge. The event also saw veterans Donald Mason and Len Trewin receive the Legion d’Honneur.    

This afternoon, veterans Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94, will parachute into Normandy in honour of comrades they lost when they first made the descent 75 years ago onto fields at Sannerville. 

They will follow US Second World War paratrooper veteran Tom Rice, 97, who served with the 101st Airbone, who landed safely today following a commemorative parachute jump over Carentan on the Normandy coast.

In Portsmouth, Sergeant John Jenkins, 99, did a reading at the National Commemorative Event attended by the Queen, US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Theresa May and leaders of other involved nations. 

The veteran received a standing ovation from the President and the Queen as he led tributes. 

Mr Jenkins, who is from Portsmouth, was serving with the Pioneer Corps on D-Day and landed on Gold Beach on June 8 in 1944. He said: ‘Obviously I will think of all my mates that didn’t come back.

‘I can’t say any particular one because we were all comrades together, that was the thing. We were all comrades together and that’s what carries us through – the comradeship was really something quite marvellous.’

Mr Jenkins said he felt ‘overwhelmed’ to be at the service and to be chosen to do a reading. ‘It is something that will last in my memory for a long time,’ he said. 

He added: ‘I was terrified. I think everyone was – you don’t show it, but it’s there. I look back on it as a big part of my life, it changed me in a way – but I was just a small part in a very big machine.  

‘You never forget your comrades because we were all in there together. It’s right that the courage and sacrifice of so many veterans is being honoured 75 years on.

‘We must never forget – thank you.’ His words moved many other veterans and attendees to tears during the service.’

After the war Mr Jenkins worked as a bus driver then as a crane operator at the Portsmouth naval base. Proud of his country and being a dedicated to his service, he went on to serve in the Territorial Army for many years, rising to the rank of Company Sergeant Major.

He is a lifelong Portsmouth fan and recently said that one message he would give to the generation of tomorrow is for there to be ‘no more wars’.

Arthur Hampson, 93, from Merseyside, was a midshipman with the Royal Navy on D-Day, landing on Juno Beach. ‘As the ramp went down, there was quite a lot of fire coming at us from the shore,’ he said.

‘We could see the red flashes coming from houses that the Germans were in on the waterfront. We were popping at the window where we could see that the enemy was shooting at us.’

He described the service as a ‘great experience’ but said he did not regard himself as a hero. 

Mr Hampson said that after D-Day, he returned to Portsmouth. ‘I was having a quiet pint in a pub in Southsea,’ he said.

‘The past 24 hours seemed unreal. We were talking to people in the pub and I think they didn’t believe a word we were saying.’

Les Hammond, 94, from Northampton, a craftsman in the 86 Anti-tank Regiment, who was 19 when he landed on Juno Beach, said: ‘It’s quite emotional I suppose, I didn’t think I would feel like this but I do.

‘I am very much a royalist and I am proud of my country. I intend to live a few more years and have nice memories of today.’ 

Alfred Fuzzard, 97, from Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex, a former petty officer in the Royal Navy who grew up in Portsmouth and who landed on Sword Beach, said: ‘I wouldn’t have missed D-Day for the world.

‘The weather was a bit rough when we went over but it calmed down when we got close to the beach. 

‘I think it’s lovely, I am a fan of Trump actually, I would like to see him as prime minister of this country, shake the bunkers up.

‘Trump has been good for his people but the trouble is that before he opens his mouth, he should think. I would like to meet him because I will ask him if he’s immigrating.

‘I don’t know what lessons you can learn, it’s up to politicians, they drag us into wars don’t they. 

‘We belong to a great nation and the finest fighting people in the world I think. I have seen some very brave men and it’s been wonderful here to meet all these old people and what they gave.

‘In an operation you only see your part, you don’t see what is going on around you whereas here you can hear other people’s stories and it’s been bloody marvellous.’