The Princess Royal has laid a wreath and spoken with veterans at a service commemorating the soldiers who died during the Battle of Arnhem 80 years ago.

Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, gathered with Second World War veterans, their families and members of the public to pay their respects at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery in the Netherlands on Sunday.

The Battle of Arnhem, part of Operation Market Garden, was a manoeuvre intended to create a route for Allied forces into northern Germany in September 1944.

The Airborne Memorial Service is held annually at the cemetery, which is the final resting place of more than 1,750 Allied troops from the 1st Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade.

Before the service, the British Army Band Catterick and standard bearers from the Parachute Regiment Association and the Royal British Legion formed a musical procession, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

During the event, there were readings by British Army padres, wreath layings, and a sounding of the Last Post and Reveille.

A local schoolchild for every fallen soldier in the cemetery placed flowers on each grave, following the “flower children” tradition that began in 1945.

The Royal Netherlands Air Force then conducted a flypast with three historic aircraft.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Today we honour the veterans of Arnhem, and we honour those who fought and died to help liberate our allies.

“Eighty years on, we remember the huge price paid for our freedom and commit to defending peace and security today.

“I’m proud that members of our armed forces are at the heart of the commemorations in the Netherlands this week.”

Defence minister Lord Coaker said: “Our armed forces continue to be inspired by the service and sacrifice of that great generation, which fought so we may live in freedom today.

“I was proud to join members of the armed forces to pay our respects to those who served and died 80 years ago. We remain hugely grateful to all those who gave their lives to defeat Nazi tyranny.”

Paratroopers from eight Nato member countries, including the UK, the US, Portugal and Spain, parachuted from 12 aircraft into Ginkel Heath, a nature reserve near the Dutch town of Ede, on Saturday.

It was the same jump made 80 years earlier by thousands of Allied airborne troops as they parachuted into the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.

They included 1,900 airborne soldiers from Britain’s 4th Parachute Brigade.

The plan involved seizing key bridges with a combination of airborne forces – known as Market – with land forces joining them – Garden.

But the airborne forces’ landing zones were around nine miles from the bridge at Arnhem, losing them the element of surprise and giving Nazi troops time to build blockades.

While the operation succeeded in capturing the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen, it failed in its key objective – securing the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem.

A defensive battle saw nine days of prolonged street fighting until the order to withdraw was given on September 25.

More than 8,000 British soldiers were killed, went missing or were captured in the offensive.