D-day 80th anniversary live: veterans and world leaders

Joe Biden and King Charles are among those attending D-day celebrations in France and the UK

Royals and world leaders are gathering with veterans in northern France today to mark 80 years since the D-day landings.

The seaborne invasion, which was the largest in history, saw more than 150,000 allied troops invade Normandy in a turning point of the second world war.

Those who gathered here in Portsmouth would never forget the sight. It was by far the largest military fleet the world has ever known. Yet all knew that both victory and failure were possible, and none could know their fate.

Aircrew flying overhead, sailors manning warships; or troops in assault craft battering their way through the stormy swell to the shore; whether dropping by parachute, landing in a wooden glider, or taking that terrible leap of faith on to the beaches … all must have questioned whether they would survive and how they would respond when faced with such mortal danger.