D-Day 80 – a world-class commemoration in the #heartofsouthsea

What a proud day it was for Portsmouth and the country as a whole as we marked D-Day 80 with two stunning ceremonies and a week of important events.

Earlier in the day on June 5th, the King and Queen with Prince William joined other dignitaries and VIPs to honour the men and women who took part in D-Day. A fly past from the Red Arrows brought the ceremony to a close.

Many of those involved in the national event on Southsea Common chose to stay at the Queens Hotel including veterans and Dame Helen Mirren, who led the televised event.

In the evening, 6,000 guests took their place on Southsea Common for an evening of remembrance, nostalgia, music and a hi-tech drone light show.

Other events included the lighting of beacons in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and Southsea Castle, a ceremony at the D-Day memorial in Southsea and the week culminated in the Armed Foces Day gathering on Southsea Common on Saturday June 8th.

General Manager Paul Playford said: “Once again the location of the Queens Hotel meant we were right at the heart of the commemorations to mark D-Day 80.

“Guests staying in our seaview rooms with balconies were treated to a birds eye view of all the activity on Southsea Common.

“And our beautiful garden was the perfect spot for guests and visitors to relax in the afternoon.”

The Visit Portsmouth website has all the up to date information about events happening on our doorstep this summer.

Follow this link here

Photo credits:

Cover image – Sarah Standing | Portsmouth News

Red Arrows – John Whiteaway | local photographer