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‘No invitation’ means Queen will not attend D-Day events
Sri Carmichael, Consumer Affairs Reporter28.05.09
No member of the royal family will attend next week's official D-Day commemorations in France, Buckingham Palace said today.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown will represent Britain at events in Normandy on 6 June to mark the 65th anniversary of the landings but neither the Queen nor any other royal will be present because they have not been invited.
British Normandy veterans criticised the absence of the Queen from the guest list for the commemorations. But French officials insisted she was welcome and blamed the UK Government for deciding who should attend what they said was “primarily a Franco-American ceremony”.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “Neither the Queen nor any other members of the royal family will be attending as we have not received an official invitation.
“We would like to reiterate that we have never expressed any sense of anger or frustration at all, and are content with all the arrangements that are planned.”
US President Barack Obama will join French president Nicolas Sarkozy for next week's commemorations.
Reader views (8)
Could boycott travel to and through Normandy I suppose
- E.Reed, Bournemouth,UK
I think you will find that under the EU all royalty will be more and more sidelined.
- Mike Mines, london
Typical of the French. A country who hardly had a WW2 resistance until after D-Day (how brave). And they hate, hate, hate the English for it. Strangely they think the Germans are their mates. It's a bit like falling in love with your abuser. What an insult to the thousands of british soldiers who died liberating their country. And the many thousands of children who were later raised fatherless. I'm completely gob-smacked by this. Another reason to use your vote next Thursday.
- Sean, London
Wonderful comment, Mrs, London. Sarkozy (is that how you spell it?) isn't even a Frenchman. Goodness only knows why Obama is there: probably the same reason as McBrown - publicity. Insignificant politicians (and there are many of them, including Brown) come and go, but those Englishmen, including my Dad, and men and women from other countries (as well as France's underground resistance - nothing to do with Sarkozy) go on for ever.
- Crystalclear, london
Why is this Browns fault? The Tory apologists will use any excuse to smear the man, why, when he is perfectly capable of screwing it up on his own. Anyway, this is about French perfidy, not ours. The French are a cowardly bunch of collaborators, and apart from a few Frenchmen and the French communist party, kissed the German backside and did their dirty work for them from June 1940 until June 1944, when suddenly, they all became loyal frenchmen again. I seem to remember a great many Englishmen died trying to protect France in 1940, undone by the incompetence of French generals such as Gamelin, and as many died again liberating the damned place 4 years later. Now it's all Franco.Americain!!! Beautiful country, shame about the scum who live there.
- Kerry, Purley
"primarily a franco american ceremony"
ummmm did i miss something??? what did the french do on D day? they'ed already thrown in the towel!!!
And any recognition for the aussie/ canadian/ uk / commonwealth troops who gave their lives on that day and thru WW2?
- Tom, LEICESTERSHIRE
What a lady!
I too do not go where i'm not invited, this is the English way of doing the right thing.
Pity Crash has not got a few more principles, but then he is a Scot, so that's what I'd expect from him. Poor Crash only wants to go so's he can sidle up to Obama - what a creep!
- Mrs, London UK
As our Head of State, surely The Queen should be there and not Mr Brown.
- Smb, London, UK
