Prince Charles to attend D-Day commemoration in France after row over royal ’snub’

Prince Charles to attend D-Day ceremony

LONDON — Prince Charles’ office said Tuesday that he will attend a D-Day commemoration in France this week after a diplomatic spat over the omission from the guest list of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

President Barack Obama and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy are attending the ceremony on Saturday to mark the 65th anniversary of the Allied landings on June 6, 1944. The most senior British representative was to have been Prime Minister Gordon Brown rather than the queen, who is head of state and who served in uniform during World War II.

The perceived snub created an uproar in Britain, which lost thousands of troops helping to free France from the Nazis.

France denied any offense was meant, and said it was up to Britain to decide whom to send.

Charles’ office said the prince would be attending at Sarkozy’s invitation.

On Monday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the U.S. wanted the queen to be there, and was “working with those involved to see that it happens.”

The D-Day landings saw more than 150,000 Allied troops pour on to the beaches of occupied France and marked a strategic turning point in the war.