French President Francois Hollande has called for the "same vision, the same courage" to combat global threats to peace as those who fought on D-Day.
Almost 2,000 veterans joined world leaders at a ceremony in Normandy, France, marking the 70th anniversary of the momentous World War Two mission.
Mr Hollande said today's threats included terrorism, global warming and mass unemployment.
Earlier, the Queen laid a wreath at a military cemetery in Bayeux.
The main commemoration event took place at Sword Beach, one of five landing points for the Allies, where scenes from the 1944 invasion were re-enacted.
The landings - involving 156,000 troops - were the first stage of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
By the end of D-Day on 6 June 1944, the Allies had established a foothold in France - an event that would eventually help bring the war to an end.
More than 4,000 British, American and Canadian troops lost their lives on that first day of the battle.
The crowds at Sword Beach were treated to a fly past by WWII aircraft, which included this Lancaster bomber
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a tea party in Arromanches, near Gold landing beach
President Francois Hollande paid tribute to the different nationalities who held combat Nazism during WWII
US veterans including Morley Piper, 90, gathered at Omaha Beach on Friday morning
At the D-Day commemorations
Mark Urban, diplomatic editor, Newsnight
These events have drawn hundreds of thousands of people to the Normandy beaches, all outwardly here for the same reason but actually taking away very different things.
The leaders flew in to draw political lessons, seeking to define D-Day in their own ideological terms.
President Obama, speaking at a war cemetery that is the last resting place for nearly 10,000 fallen soldiers, spoke of a sacrifice in the service of "our commitment to liberty, to equality, to freedom, to the inherent dignity of every human being".
There are historical re-enactors from all corners of Europe. They pose for photos, add to the atmosphere, but undoubtedly come for their own enjoyment.
As for the veterans themselves, they are small in number but have a completely disproportionate effect in dignifying everybody else's commemoration.
Les Reeves, 89, who drove one of the first tanks ashore on Sword Beach told us that he would keep coming back, "as long as I have the strength".
Fintan Christopher Donohoe, who fought ashore with the 2nd Royal Ulster Rifles, said he had never wanted to talk about the war much but felt it important to do so now, lest young men get the idea that war is a great adventure.
Veteran, Fred: "I was a little bit surprised to see so many dead soldiers in the sea"
Speaking at the sun-drenched event, held in warm temperatures, Mr Hollande said: "It's up to us to have the same vision, the same courage, to be just as bright and have the same determination as those who came to these beaches 70 years ago."
Mr Hollande also paid tribute to "the courage of all these young men who came from all over the world to conquer - metre after metre, inch after inch - the beaches and the dunes".
"I really wish to pay tribute to the courage and the Germans who were actually victims of Nazi rule. applause. They were led into a war which was not theirs and which would have never been theirs. And today we really want to pay homage to all the victims of Nazi rule."
He also called for the beaches of Normandy become a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A 21-gun salute and a flypast also formed part of proceedings at the Sword Beach ceremony, which was also attended by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A Lancaster bomber, regarded as the workhorse of the RAF, flew over the crowds below, flanked by two Spitfires.
Earlier at Colleville-sur-Mer, US President Barack Obama said: "America's claim - our commitment to liberty, to equality, to freedom, to the inherent dignity of every human being - that claim is written in blood on these beaches, and it will endure for eternity".
President Obama led a standing ovation, ahead of a 21-gun salute and fly-past at the Colleville-sur-Mer US cemetery
Elsewhere, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a Royal British Legion service at Bayeux Cathedral.
And the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended events in Arromanches, near Gold landing beach where thousands of British troops came ashore on D-Day.
Following a service at Bayeux Cathedral, many veterans left to walk to the nearby military cemetery where nearly 2,000 gathered.
The BBC's Becky Kelly reported that crowds burst into applause as the veterans walk past, some people shouting "thanks".
In other events:
A flotilla of ships from the Allied nations led by HMS Bulwark sailed from Portsmouth to Normandy on Thursday
Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend a remembrance ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer, to commemorate Canada's role in the Normandy landings
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to attend a veterans' tea party in Arromanches
Bernard Jordan, an 89-year-old D-Day veteran who went missing after apparently being told by care home staff that he could not attend the anniversary commemorations, has been found safe and well in Normandy. He left the home on Thursday morning wearing his war medals under a jacket and raincoat
What was D-Day?
On 6 June 1944, British, US and Canadian forces invaded the coast of northern France in Normandy.
The landings were the first stage of Operation Overlord - the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe - and were intended to end World War Two.
Portsmouth's D-Day Museum says as many as 4,413 Allied troops died on the day of the invasion - more than previously thought.
By the end of D-Day, the Allies had established a foothold in France. Within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated, as Soviet armies swept in from the east and captured Hitler's stronghold in Berlin.
Will you be marking the anniversary of D-Day? Were you involved in some way in the Normandy landings? Do you have family who were involved in the action, or the build up to that day? You can email
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