We will never know what the Queen truly thinks about the disaster of diplomacy and protocol now casting a pall over British celebrations to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day. That is not her way. But by God, she has every right to be incandescent about it – and so do we.
With four days to go, Her Majesty was catapulted into an unseemly tug of love, as her Prime Minister and the President of the United States fought to be the fairy godmother who would enable her to go to Normandy after all.
As criticism mounted at the apparent failure of the French to extend her an invitation, Gordon Brown said that if any members of the Royal family found themselves at a loose end on Saturday, and felt like popping across the Channel, he “would ensure that it would happen”. It was too little, too late, prompting Barack Obama to seize the initiative. His spokesman claimed that the President was “working with those involved” to get the Queen there. This was an unprecedented intervention, and a generous one – there aren’t many votes in it for Mr Obama, but it was no doubt in recognition of the warm reception he and his wife received from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace earlier this year.
But the fact that Obama felt compelled to step in highlights the catastrophic failing of the Queen’s own Government, and, most notably, her first minister, to resolve this matter sooner. To the Americans, Her Majesty is just another celebrity, who might welcome another red carpet photo-opportunity alongside their guy. Her role as head of state of both Britain and Canada – countries that provided more than half the forces fighting on June 6, 1944 – would not have registered.
It should, of course, have registered with Mr Brown. The Queen should never have been placed in this position. Prince Charles’s presence is a last-minute face-saving fudge initiated by his aides to spare his mother any greater embarrassment.
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See Also:
They call it Gordon Brown’s ‘tragedy’
Labour in crisis: we haven’t seen such turmoil at the top for decades
Hazel Blears resigns from Cabinet in further blow for Gordon Brown
Analysis: one more senior resignation would end it for Gordon Brown
Updates:
4:50 pm EDT, June 3rd, 2009 — Gordon Brown fights for political life