(L-R) Brigitte Macron, France's First Lady; Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Credit: © SIP / Julien Warnand

As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of State, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Luc Frieden took part in the official international ceremony for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy on Thursday 6 June 2024.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, the Grand Duke and Prime Minister travelled to Omaha Beach for the occasion. They were accompanied by the President of the Chamber of Deputies (parliament), Claude Wiseler, Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, and Luxembourg's Chief of Defence, General Steve Thull.

As the ministry noted, the Normandy landings marked a decisive moment in the history of the Second World War in Europe. They allowed the Allies - after heavy fighting - to establish a bridgehead on the Normandy coast from which they would participate in the liberation of Europe and the fall of the Nazi regime.

On the occasion of the anniversary, Prime Minister Luc Frieden stressed that "today's Europe exists thanks to the bravery, commitment and sacrifice of the soldiers of the Allied Forces - we owe this victory to them, including the veterans present here bearing witness to what happened 80 years ago. This commemorative ceremony reminds us that peace must be maintained and that freedom is never final."

Among these Allied forces, seven Luxembourgers landed on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. They were followed later by their fellow citizens engaged in the Independent Belgian Brigade (Piron Brigade), a Belgian-Luxembourg brigade which landed in August 1944 and participated in the Battle of Normandy (August 1944) as well as in the liberation of Belgium and the Netherlands (September 1944 to May 1945). In total, 126 Luxembourgers served in the Piron Brigade during the Second World War, noted the ministry.

The ceremony on Thursday was an opportunity to honour the memory of those who fought in the Allied forces during the Second World War. Among those present were D-Day veterans as well as royals (Grand Duke Henri but also the UK's King Charles and Prince William, among others) and world leaders (including US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky).