Tomorrow, Royalty and Heads of State from around Europe will gather on the Beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings, which launched the campaign to liberate Europe during the Second World War.
The first major Commemoration of D-Day was held to mark the 40th Anniversary in 1984, when Queen Elizabeth II, King Olav V of Norway, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Baudouin of Belgium, and Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg were joined by American President Ronald Reagan, French President Francois Mitterrand, and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for a Ceremony on Omaha Beach.
The real turning point for the D-Day commemoration and its significance in global politics came in 1984. For the first time, the French president invited six heads of state, including US President Ronald Reagan and the Queen of England, to an international ceremony at Utah Beach, attended by thousands of veterans.
After a period of détente, the early 1980s saw a resurgence of East-West tensions, notably with the Euromissile crisis over the deployment – by the USSR and by NATO – of medium-range missiles in Europe. For Lecoq, the French president’s aim during this period was to demonstrate his stature and underline the importance of transatlantic ties: “During the ceremony, he was the only one to speak. He positioned himself, to a certain extent, as the guarantor of the Western alliance.”
The 50th Anniversary of D-Day began in Portsmouth, when the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh hosted the Heads of State on the Royal Yacht Britannia, before the Queen (wearing her Belgian Sapphire Tiara) was joined by King Harald V of Norway, King Albert II of Belgium, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, American President Bill Clinton and French President Francois Mitterrand for a Banquet at the Portsmouth Guildhall.
Two days later, Queen Elizabeth II led Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Harald V of Norway, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg, for the Ceremony on Omaha Beach.
In 1994, near the end of his second term, Mitterrand again presided over an international ceremony for the 50th anniversary of D-Day, attended by a dozen heads of state. The geopolitical context had changed completely, five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the ensuing reunification of Germany. The Cold War was over. Poland was invited for the first time, represented by its president Lech Walesa.
A decade later, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, King Harald V of Norway, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, marked the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in Arromanche in 2004.
In 2004, it was the turn of Russia and Germany to take part in the commemorations. Russian President Vladimir Putin was present at Gold Beach, as was German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder. The mutual pledges of friendship between Schroder and French President Jacques Chirac at the Caen Memorial museum were another historic episode. “Europe has learned its lesson, and we Germans will not shirk it,” declared Schroder, while the French president replied: “The French receive you more than ever as a friend. They receive you as a brother.”
To mark the 70th Anniversary of D-Day in 2014, there was a International Ceremony at Sword Beach in Ouistreham, where Queen Elizabeth II led Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
As part of the 70th anniversary, the impact of D-Day on local communities was evoked, with President François Hollande finally paying national tribute to the 20,000 civilian victims of the Battle of Normandy. But 2014’s observance also had a very international character, with the presence of 24 heads of state, heads of government and monarchs at Sword Beach.
Most recently, Queen Elizabeth II and the Prince of Wales attended the National Commemorative Event for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common in Portsmouth in 2019.
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