From Peter Anthony Troy.
THE French Government’s snub to the Queen by not inviting Her Majesty to the official 65th anniversary celebrations of the D-Day landings on 6 June is an insult to the British and Commonwealth veterans who will proudly salute their fallen comrades, as well as an insult to the memory of 17,566 British and 5,316 Canadian troops who died in the battles for the liberation of France from Nazi occupation in the summer of 1944.
French President Sarkozy is making much political capital of the hugely popular US President Obama’s attendance, yet French officials have been dismissive of suggestions that the Queen, as head of State of the UK and Canada, should also be included in the events.
Massive media attention is to be given to the French and US Presidents jointly attending the key events. The French snub is particularly disrespectful when one considers that Queen Elizabeth is the only present head of any state in the world to have served in military uniform during the Second World War.
Britain will not be without representation at the official ceremonies in Normandy next week, the UK Prime Minister, the junior defence minister and other British politicians having at the last minute requested invitations from the French when they realised that they would lose out on the publicity opportunities when they were informed that Barack Obama and, consequently, most of the world’s press corps will be attending; every one wants to be seen to be best friends with the most popular politician on earth.
As arrangements stand though there are no plans by the French organisers for Gordon Brown to visit any of the three beaches that were stormed by British and Canadian troops, nor will the Prime Minister attend the final march of the Normandy Veterans Association prior to their disbandment.
So there we have it, 65 years after the start of the liberation of Western Europe, at a huge cost in human lives, the most long-standing and respected head of state in the western world, with direct personal connections with the events that are to be commemorated in Normandy, is to be shamefully excluded.
This is clearly because it is feared that Her Majesty’s presence would upstage the overtly image conscious, self-focused French and US Presidents. In that assumption, the French Government is correct.
Bergendal, Bon Air Lane, St Saviour.
