D-Day snub to Queen: Palace fury as Sarkozy refuses to invite royals to 65th Anniversary

The Queen and other senior royals have been 'snubbed' by the French over D-Day commemorations

Buckingham Palace voiced anger last night after the French snubbed the Queen over next week's D-Day commemorations.

Aides said senior royals had repeatedly made clear their eagerness to support the historic 65th anniversary events in Normandy.

But last night French officials crushed any remaining hopes, admitting they had never had any plans to invite members of the British Royal Family.

They said President Nicolas Sarkozy was focused on the 'main event' of hosting U.S. President Barack Obama.

There was also anger at the British Government for failing to secure a Royal invitation from their French counterparts. Protocol means they cannot simply invite themselves.

The failure to invite the Queen - who is head of state of both Britain and Canada - will be seen as an insult to the memory of the 17,556 British and 5,316 Canadian troops who died to free France and are buried there.

The figure does not include many airmen and sailors whose bodies were never found.

Ministers had refused even to treat the 65th anniversary as a major event until shamed into a U-turn by a Daily Mail campaign earlier this year.

Senior Buckingham Palace sources made no attempt to hide their frustration. One said: 'We have made it very clear from the start we were keen to support the Normandy veterans in any way we could. No-one is keener to honour their sacrifice.

'There have been several conversations with the Foreign Office but no invitation has been forthcoming.



The Queen meeting British war veterans in Normandy during the 60th anniversary to commemorate the D-Day landings

'We have gone through all the normal channels and had conversation after conversation, but received no feedback. It is very frustrating.'



President Sarkozy's officials were dismissive of the whole issue.

A French government source said: 'There were never any plans to invite members of the British Royal Family, although an invitation has been extended to Gordon Brown after he said he wanted to come.

'He will, of course, be concentrating on the British commemorations, away from the American beaches, as is appropriate. This is very much a Franco-American occasion.'

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Presidents Obama and Sarkozy will attend the main international events at St Mere Eglise - the first town liberated by U.S. paratroopers - and Utah Beach, one of the two American landing sites.

France's equivalent of BBC1 plans blanket coverage in a day-long programme called Barack Obama On The Invasion Beaches.

Publicity for it makes no mention of British or Canadian troops.

It says: 'Surrounded by French and American veterans, the presidents Obama and Sarkozy will pay homage to the thousands of Americans who lost their lives on the Normandy beaches in their fight for liberty.'

The French president has been branded 'Sarko the American' over his attempts to curry favour with Washington. Relations with the White House have soured in recent weeks, and many believe he is pinning his hopes of repairing them on the D-Day celebrations.

Mr Brown will attend events on June 6, but is not expected to be at the main gathering of British veterans at Arromanches beach - the last time the dwindling band are expected to march together.

Peter Hodge, secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association, said having the Queen present would have been 'the icing on the cake' for his members.

He said: 'The veterans have immense respect for her and feel a very special bond. The fact that she took the salute at Arromanches at the 60th anniversary was very special to them.'

But he said it 'wouldn't make a scrap of difference' to most veterans whether the Prime Minister turned up or not.



He said as many as 400 veterans would not be able to make a hoped-for pilgrimage to the battlefields where their friends died because the Government's offer of help came so late that ferries and hotels were fully booked.

Downing Street insiders said the question of a Royal invitation had 'not arisen' in discussions with the French.

A spokesman said: 'This is an event organised by the French government. It is for them to issue invitations. The Prime Minister is pleased to have been invited and hopes to attend.'