Give the Queen D-Day invite, says Obama

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White House officials have been in contact with the French government in an attempt to secure an invitation for the Queen. But this is unlikely to result in her presence at the weekend ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

Buckingham Palace said the Queen would not be attending - even if an 11th hour invitation was extended. But aides said she will have been touched by the concern shown by Mr Obama.

Asked if the president believed the Queen should be invited, Mr Obama's press secretary Robert Gibbs said: "He does. We are working with those involved to see if we can make that happen. I think there is no doubt her presence would be important." Last week, when the row erupted, the White House seemed unwilling to get involved. Mr Gibbs said: "We are not in charge of the guest list."

But Mr Obama is an admirer of the Queen, and aides said he wants to do all he can to have her at the remembrance events which will be attended by hundreds of British veterans.

Before his visit to Britain for the G20 summit, when he had tea at the Palace, he said: "What the Queen stands for and her decency and her civility, that's very important."

A spokesman for French premier Nicolas Sarkozy said an invitation had been extended to the Government and it was up to Gordon Brown to decide who would attend.