Sydney - Middle East Times Int’l: King Charles was visibly emotional, at one point appearing to wipe away a tear, during commemorations in Britain for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 

The monarch was joined by his wife Queen Camilla and son Prince William for the ceremonial event on Wednesday in Portsmouth on England's south coast. 

King Charles led tributes to veterans as he delivered a touching address to the crowd, marking his first major public speech since his cancer diagnosis earlier this year. 

Prince William sat alongside his father King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with his wife Akshata Murty for the D-Day commemorations. Picture: AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool

He honoured veterans, some who were in the crowd during the ceremony, for their efforts during the Normandy landings eight decades ago which were a turning point of World War II.

"Today we come together to honour those nearly 160,000 British, Commonwealth and Allied troops who on the June 5, 1944, assembled here and along these shores to embark on the mission which would strike that blow for freedom and be recorded as the great amphibious operation in history," the King said. 

Photos from the ceremony captured the moment the King appeared to dab away a tear as he sat in the royal box, at one point also pulling out a white handkerchief. 

Queen Camilla's eyes also noticeably welled up as she heard the speech of Royal Navy serviceman Eric Bateman, who was joined at the event by his family.

Prince William also delivered a speech, sharing excerpts of a letter penned by Captain Alastair Bannerman of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment to his wife just before the Normandy operation unfolded in 1944.  

"We will always remember those who served and those who waved them off," the Prince of Wales told the crowd.

"The mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who watched their loved ones go into battle, unsure if they would ever return.

"Today we remember the bravery of those who crossed this sea to liberate Europe, those who ensured that Operation Overlord was a success and those who waited for their safe return."