Prince William says Kate ‘would have loved’ to attend D-Day anniversary event as he gives update on wife’s health and speaks affectionately of her codebreaker grandmother
Prince William spoke fondly of the Princess of Wales’ code-breaking grandmother as he revealed his wife would have ‘loved’ to attend a D-Day anniversary event with him today.
The Prince of Wales, 41, joined King Charles and Queen Camilla at the event in Portsmouth this afternoon.
After giving a moving speech to veterans and leading politicians, William met the audience, including the war hero who asked about his wife during her ongoing cancer treatment.
The prince said to him, ‘She is doing better, thank you. She would have liked to be here today.’
The royal went on to reveal how he had spoken to women working at Bletchley Park as codebreakers, along with Kate’s grandmother Valerie Middleton.
Pictured: The Prince of Wales seen speaking at a D-Day anniversary event in Portsmouth today
The royal continued: ‘I reminded everyone how her grandmother served at Bletchley, so she had quite a bit in common with some of the ladies here.’
Before that, the royal family told one of the women: ‘My wife’s grandmother did the same thing as you. Catherine only found out towards the end of her life.’
Valerie and her twin sister Mary worked in Hut 16 in Bletchley Park, now swallowed up in Milton Keynes, and she was part of the team of crack code breakers who unlocked the secrets of the German Enigma machine and ultimately helped start the war for Britain to win.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden reported in 2019 that Valerie “never said a word” when the Princess of Wales asked her about her war efforts as a child.
“She was so sworn to secrecy that she was never able to tell us,” Kate said while visiting schoolchildren during her tour of the estate near Milton Keynes in 2019.
“Unfortunately, when she was alive, she could never talk about it.”
Valerie was recruited along with her twin sister Mary, Kate’s great-aunt, and they monitored diplomatic traffic from secret listening stations.
In this role they witnessed one of the most extraordinary moments in Bletchley’s history when the twins were on duty when a message was intercepted that Japan had surrendered.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales in May 2021. The royal grandmother, Valerie Middleton, worked as a codebreaker in World War II
Valerie Middleton (pictured) was part of the team of crack code breakers who unlocked the secrets of the German Enigma machine
This meant that they were among the first – along with George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill – to hear that the Second World War was over.
In 2016, Kate paid tribute to her late grandmother – who passed away in 2006 – and said how proud she was of what she had achieved.
In a foreword for The GCHQ Puzzle Book, the Princess said: ‘They rarely spoke of their wartime service, but we now know how important the men and women of Bletchley Park were as they tackled some of the country’s toughest problems.
‘In a new century, their successors at GCHQ will continue this intellectual tradition. Like their Bletchley predecessors, they have become known for valuing neurodiversity and understanding the importance of mental wellbeing.”
In 2019, Kate paid tribute to her grandmother by wearing a special ‘Codebreakers’ poppy brooch during the wreath-laying service at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales revealed in an emotional video message that she is receiving treatment for cancer and has stepped back from her public duties.
The King and Queen watched the proceedings from the Royal Box after Charles made his speech
Queen Camilla was overcome with emotion today as a D-Day veteran recounted the horror of losing his best friend on the beaches of Normandy 80 years ago.
Tears welled up in the Queen’s eyes as former Royal Navy soldier Eric Bateman recalled his experience on the Utah beach – while King Charles also appeared visibly moved.
Mr Bateman, who served on the warship HMS Erebus, described how you could ‘walk the Channel’ because so many boats were involved in the invasion.
And in tribute to his fallen comrades, he said: “So many men and women, including my dear friend Fred, joined me but unfortunately never made it.”
Charles and Camilla joined the Prince of Wales in leading British politicians and veterans at a major event in Portsmouth, where the king made his first public speech since being diagnosed with cancer.
He told the crowd: “The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity that we have heard today and throughout our lives cannot help but move us, inspire us and remind us of what we owe to that great wartime generation.”
King Charles greets Eric Bateman after giving his emotional speech in Portsmouth today
Helen Mirren is leading the proceedings today – and can be seen here on stage at the D-Day anniversary event
At the commemorations in Portsmouth – organized by Dame Helen Mirren – William read an extract from the diary of Captain Alastair Bannerman, a soldier who was part of D-Day, addressed to his wife on the morning of the landings.
He told the flag-waving crowd he was ‘deeply honoured’ to be part of the work on Southsea Common and said ‘we will always remember those who served’.
Delivering his speech to the crowd, the King said: ‘The stories of courage, resilience and solidarity that you have heard today and throughout our lives cannot fail to move us, inspire us and remind us of what we owe to that great wartime. generation, which is now tragically dwindling to so few.
‘It is our privilege to hear those testimonies, but our role is not merely passive. It is our duty to ensure that we and future generations do not forget their service and their sacrifice in replacing tyranny with freedom.”
In his program notes for the event, the King spoke of his “deep admiration and respect” for those who took part in D-Day, adding: “It remains our solemn duty to recognize the exceptional courage, service and sacrifice of those who took part in that dangerous mission.’
D-Day veterans, armed forces personnel and local schoolchildren were among the guests at the star-studded event on Southsea Common in Portsmouth.
The Hampshire port town was an important staging post for the most important battle of the Second World War and was the base for the ships and troops en route to Sword Beach, and nearby Southwick was the headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, who Operation Overlord led. schedule.
The commemoration, which took place on a specially erected stage, kicked off with a flypast by Dakota aircraft before host Dame Helen Mirren took to the stage to give a history of how D-Day unfolded and affected the participants.
During the event, veterans read out dramatic accounts of the invasion, as well as war songs performed by EastEnders star Emma Barton, American actress Marisha Wallace and Call The Midwife’s Helen George.
