Michael Heseltine moved to tears by memory of Queen's conduct in tough moment

Watch Michael Heseltine revisit his memories of the Queen in an interview with ITV News presenter Tom Bradby.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine was gripped by emotion as he remembered how the Queen conducted herself during a poignant moment.

He recalled observing first-hand how the monarch navigated a challenging engagement abroad, many years ago.

"How she managed to control herself in the deeply emotional experiences she had to go through..." Lord Heseltine remarked in wonder.

He told ITV News he would "never forget" attending the commemoration of 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings alongside the Queen in Arromanches-les-Bains, France, when he was Defence Secretary in 1984.

"The first thing we heard was the sound of music," he recalled. "Pipes and bands. And then from behind us came the survivors, on their zimmer-frames and walking sticks and wheelchairs.

"The men who landed on that beach, forty years ago that day."

His voice breaking as he became visibly consumed by the emotion of the memory on air, Lord Heseltine told ITV News presenter Tom Bradby: "You can hear by my voice, it was a deeply, deeply moving experience."

"How she was able to contain herself without breaking down, frankly, I'd always felt was typical of the discipline she'd managed to achieve, and the way she conducted her life."

Lord Heseltine has been a prominent figure in British politics for decades, serving in a number of junior ministerial positions in Edward Heath's government before being appointed variously as Secretary of State for Environment, Defence, and Trade under Prime Ministers Dame Margaret Thatcher and Sir John Major.

He was later appointed Deputy Prime Minister in Sir John's government.