Prince William has taken his father's place at a ceremonial event at Omaha Beach to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

       He attended the event alongside Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, and Justin Trudeau as King Charles continues to recover from cancer treatment.

       The King did however attended the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer earlier on Tuesday, but he and Queen Camilla decided not to attend the international commemorative ceremony in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer.

       He paid tribute to the "remarkable wartime generation" who participated in D-Day - the largest seaborne invasion in history that led to the Allied victory on the Western Front.

       The Prince of Wales also surprised veterans in Arromanches, also known as Gold Beach, to mark the 80th anniversary. One veteran gifted him a pin and others gave their well wishes to his father.

       He said: "Far from home they stormed these very sand dunes behind me, shoulder to shoulder with thousands of British 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.

       "All of you demonstrated heroism, and determination, that ensured fascism was conquered. The commitment to service displayed by Canadian troops is a great testament to the strength of the people of Canada.

       "Canada and the UK continue to stand side by side as we did in 1944. Just as strong together, 80 years later. Ensuring the memory of those who fought for freedom lives on is why we've come together again today - to say thank you."