King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Rishi Sunak and Dame Helen Mirren to arrive in Portsmouth for D-Day 80 events

The King, Queen and Prince of Wales will join veterans at a commemorative event in Portsmouth as major events begin in the UK and France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

The Normandy landings were the largest seaborne invasion in history, with the 1944 battle laying the foundation for an Allied victory. Troops from the UK, the USA, Canada, and France attacked German forces on the beaches at Normandy in northern France on June 6, 1944. Allied troops departed from Portsmouth on June 5, so the UK and French governments will host memorial events at both ports to commemorate the D-Day landings.

Dame Helen Mirren will host the commemorations in Portsmouth today (June 5), and military musicians and special guests will lead the ceremony. The morning will culminate in a flypast by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows.The Prime Minister will then deliver a reading to the crowds and meet with veterans to hear their D-Day stories to mark the occasion.

Watch now on Shots! D-Day: The Forgotten Soldiers - a special documentary brought to you by The News

In the afternoon, tributes will move to the beaches of Normandy, where hundreds of allied defence personnel will parachute into a historic D-Day drop zone to commemorate the airborne invasion of 80 years ago.

There will also be live music, readings and an incredible lightshow in the evening which was practiced in the city on Monday (June 3) night.

For more information about the D-Day events, click here.