When Capt Yavar Abbas stood on stage in front of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Friday, he wasn't expecting to make headlines.
He was at the official commemoration for the 80th anniversary of VJ - Victory over Japan - Day in Staffordshire as one of the last remaining veterans. Yavar was about to give a short address about his experience on the Asian front. But he decided to go off script.
He told the audience he wished "to salute my brave King who is here with his beloved Queen in spite of the fact that he's under treatment for cancer".
The King and Queen became visibly emotional. Yavar went on to tell the crowd he had been free of cancer too for the past 25 years, receiving a round of applause.
Yavar is 104, and his journey to this moment, which he told to me when I met him earlier this year, is extraordinary.
