Dressed in white, she was the Duchess of Edinburgh, wife of Prince Edward, brother of King Charles III, to carry the words of the British sovereign at the historic commemoration ceremony Battle of Monte Cassino. «Eighty years ago, the Battle of Monte Cassino ended with a victory for the Allied forces that opened the road to Rome and marked the beginning of the end of the occupation of Italy – wrote King Charles III to honor the fallen and remember the significance of that moment – . The actions and courage of the men and women who achieved success here were instrumental in enabling the Normandy landings a few weeks later.”
«On this eightieth anniversary, let us stop to reflect on the immense sacrifices made by so many for the cause of freedom in Europe, perhaps even more touching today (…)“, continues the message of King Charles who invited us to “honor the fallen in this sacred place reminds us that the rights and freedoms we enjoy today were won at a high price and entail great responsibilities for our generations and for those come”.
Words that in the geopolitical context of 2024 take on a particular significance. And you can’t forget that The Duchess of Edinburgh herself has recently returned to London from the first visit to Ukraine by a member of the Royal Family: In Kiev the Duchess met with both President Zelensky and First Lady Olena as well as families affected by the ongoing conflict. On the anniversary of the battle of 18 May 1944, the British Embassy in Rome and Ambassador Lord Llewellyn hosted a remembrance service yesterday with a range of activities designed to encourage communities to come together and learn about the stories of the Commonwealth’s fallen.
Then, escorted by the Ambassador yesterday, the Duchess he visited the abbey and met the abbot of the monastery. The Duchess took part in the commemoration with the vWorld War II hetman John (aka Jack) Hearnwho served in the Northumberland Fusiliers, fighting in Africa and Italy, including at the Battle of Monte Cassino, and laid a wreath at the service.
The British Chief of Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders, led a representation from all three British Armed Forces, with over 100 British service personnel (the Royal Tank Regiment, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and the Honorable Artillery Company). Presiding over the service was the Chaplain General Reverend Mike Parker.
Months ago it was the Duchess of Edinburgh – to whom the Windsors had publicly congratulated Sophie, 59, on her birthday at the beginning of the year – a represent the sovereign in Italy on the occasion of the secular funeral of President Giorgio Napolitano: King Charles had sent her to represent the Windsors in Italy in September for the last farewell to Giorgio Napolitano in Montecitorio.
The demonstration in Montecassino is part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s War Graves Week projecta series of activities designed to encourage communities to come together and learn the stories of the Commonwealth’s fallen.
