Britain's oldest living man and veteran turns 110 with special message from the King
The UK's oldest living man and veteran has turned 110 with a birthday card from King Charles and a special performance from Alfie Boe.
Donald Rose, who served as a frontline soldier in the Second World War, was very active in D-Day and was one of the first men ashore on the Normandy beaches during the operation.
To mark his birthday, he received a card from His Majesty and was pictured smiling while holding it in his nursing home in Derbyshire.
He also received a special birthday rendition of Happy Birthday from opera star Alfie Boe.
Mr Boe said it was "a pleasure" to perform the song over FaceTime and told the veteran it was "really nice" to meet him.
The opera singer also told Mr Rose he hopes to see him "in person at some point".
The celebrations didn’t stop there for the D-Day veteran, with a singer serenading him with renditions of Dame Vera Lynn songs The White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again.
Following the performance, he was given his birthday cake, in the shape of a tank, with a head popping out of the top.
Mr Rose joined the Army at the age of 23 and served in North Africa, Italy and France.
He received a number of medals, including France's highest honour, the Legion D'Honneur.
Earlier this month, Mr Rose was a special guest at a special afternoon put on by The Not Forgotten charity for injured veterans at St James's Palace, hosted in the State Apartments by the Duke of Gloucester.
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