Trump joins Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate 75th anniversary of D-Day

US President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II gather with 300 veterans on the south coast of England on Wednesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day - one of the heroic turning points of World War II.

Theresa May is hosting 15 world leaders to honour the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history.

Coming to the end of a three-day state visit to the UK, Trump said he was looking forward to marking what "may have been the greatest battle ever".

Portsmouth was the main staging point for some 156,000 US, British, Canadian and other Allied troops who sailed for the beaches of northern France.

The Battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944, led to the liberation of Europe and helped bring about the end of World War II the following year.

The countries represented at the event have agreed to make a joint statement pledging to ensure the "unimaginable horror" of World War Two is not repeated.

Called "the D-Day proclamation", the 16 signatories - including the UK and the US - will commit to working together to "resolve international tensions peacefully".

The UK prime minister will use the occasion to call for continued Western unity in tackling what she will call "new and evolving security threats".

Veterans saluted the crowd, actor Sheridan Smith performed a Dame Vera Lynn song, and Trump read the same prayer read by President Roosevelt during a radio message ahead of the D-Day landings.

The Queen told the crowd she was "delighted" to be at the event to thank veterans for their service.

She added: "When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, some thought it might be the last such event.

"But the wartime generation, my generation, is resilient."

Members of the armed forces and more than 300 veterans, who are all over 90 years old, also attended the event in Portsmouth - one of the key embarkation points on D-Day.

Hundreds of other veterans are in northern France to mark the occasion.

Thousands of members of the public watched the event on big screens on Southsea Common, separated from the VIPs and veterans by a large security fence.