So why isn’t your mother here, Sir? Veteran quizzes Charles over Queen's absence...

Daily Mail (UK) ^ | 7th June 2009 | Sarah Oliver

[naturalman1975]

Sixty-five years after Hitler failed to make Britain’s D-Day effort a footnote in world history, France and America finally realised his dream yesterday.

As thousands of British veterans paid their final respects to the men they left behind on Normandy’s beaches, President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama presented D-Day – the turning point of the Second World War – as a Franco-American affair

Despite months of diplomatic wrangling between London, Paris and Washington, the Queen remained absent from the official commemoration of the 65th anniversary, held at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-Mer. And Prince Charles, without the Duchess of Cornwall by his side, made only a token appearance, laying a wreath in honour of the war dead just moments before the end of the 90-minute ceremony.

Earlier in the day he had been lost for words when Ernest Townsend, 86, a Royal Artillery gunner at the Normandy landings, asked him: ‘Why isn’t your mother here?’

Mr Townsend was one of about 800 Second World War ex-servicemen who met the Prince while paying their respects at a Commonwealth cemetery in Bayeux, the final resting place of more than 4,000 Commonwealth and other soldiers.

About 5,000 family, friends and well-wishers from Britain, France and other European countries applauded as the men marched under regimental banners.

Though clearly happy to see the Prince after his 11th-hour invitation, the French government’s perceived snub to the Queen continued to anger Mr Townsend and his comrades.

‘I told him how pleased I was to see him, but I’m a plain-speaking man and I also asked why his mother wasn’t here,’ he said.

‘He just smiled at me and gave me a shrug which I took to mean, “You know why, and I know why, but I can’t say.”

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

“I assume he is responding to salutes by American veterans or ex-servicemen off to the side out of sight.”

I did not think about that possibility. Brain cells have fallen asleep.

[naturalman1975]

The Prince of Wales served in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. He did training detachments in the Army (most notably earning his parachute wings) but didn't really serve in it in a formal sense. The majority of his active career was in the Royal Navy.

He is a substantive retired Lieutenant of the Royal Navy, but now holds honourary rank as a General in the Army, Admiral in the Navy, and Air Chief Marshal in the Air Force - and if he'd wanted to show off in Normandy, he'd be fully entitled to wear any of those uniforms. He chose only to wear those decorations to which he is entitled by qualifying service. He was present at the Coronation, and the Jubilees, and at New Zealand's Waitangi celebrations, He does have twelve years qualifying service with the Canadian Forces.

[cookcounty]

She doesn’t like being hugged in public?

[naturalman1975]

Yes, he did.

I’m a former protocol officer of the Royal Australian Navy. I know the requirements to wear particular decorations in British and Commonwealth forces - he has qualifying service for all the decorations he is wearing in that photo.

Some of them are pretty easy to qualify for - which means tens of thousands (in some cases hundreds of thousands) of other people got them in the same way he did, but he did the same to earn them as anyone else.

The Prince does have a whole bunch of medals he’s got simply for being a Prince and he does wear them on occasions where protocol requires them - but he’s not wearing them in Normandy because he chooses not to wear unearned decorations at ceremonies honouring veterans.

He only wears the ones he has earned under Queen’s Regulations.

The Golden Jubilee Medal for example was awarded to all British servicemen present at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations (which he was) with at least five years military service (he has five years and four months I believe). Something like 120,000 of them were awarded.

[berdie]

Amen.

[Squantos]

His total military service was 5 years and 4 months ?

[ArtyFO]

You ought to see him next to his wife. He’s a shrimp like Kuccinich.

[naturalman1975]

Just checked - five years and eight months.

That was his service as a regular officer of the Royal Air Force (six months training) and Royal Navy (five years, two months, including service as a helicopter pilot with 845 Squadron flying commando units, and command of a minehunter).

He has a great deal of 'ceremonial' service as well and some of that - although I couldn't say precisely how much - has crossed back over into regular service at times for logistical reasons (until recently he quite often flew Royal Air Force planes himself when using them for royal trips, and to do that, he had to temporarily return to RAF service).

[ArtyFO]

“Does anyone else get the impression that something is very “not right” about Gordon Brown?”
He has a corn cob stuck up his @$$.

[MinuteGal]

"Does anyone else get the impression that something is very 'not right' about Gordon Brown?"

Prime Minister Brown is close to being legally blind. He has one false eye due to an accident when he was young. The other one is failing.

When he reads a speech, I understand the letters are very large so he can see them.

Leni

[haircutter]

THANK YOU very much for sharing your knowledge with us, I found it all very interesting...

[TheBattman]

Ok - so it isn’t so much the Queen, but France (the Cheese-Eating-Surrender Monkeys that “we” saved in that war, who dropped the proverbial ball.

But why? Was it an intentional slight?

[Squantos]

Ok I am just asking as in my military career I NEVER saw a officer rise to command their own ship (as foul mouthed idiot above posted ) unless it was a RHIB boat or landing craft in that short of time. Is that a normal thing in the queens serivce or was this royal fast tracked due his mum ?

..... grateful for yer service and glad ya got home safe !

[naturalman1975]

Minehunters aren't much bigger than landing craft... not much bigger than an RHIB for that matter.

HMS Bronington, which the Prince commanded was 440 tons with a crew of 33.

They were typically commanded by Lieutenants or Lieutenants-Commander and it was by no means unheard of for an officer of four or five years experience to be given command of one.

It was the first command they could legitimately give him, and they gave it to him as early as they legitimately could. So it was probably fast tracked in that sense. But some other young officers of equal experience got the same opportunity.

HMS Glasserton, sister ship to the Bronington.

[Eagles6]

What a shame. Everything “zero”touches is tainted. I have no doubt that the Queen not being invited was his doing.

[Squantos]

Thanks for the lesson and information I stand corrected and sorry for my comments then.........I was wrong.

[maine-iac7]

but what gives that she can't get off her high-horse and pay respects to the many who gave their lives for the turning point of WWII?

If you kept an ear to the news, instead of getting on YOUR high horse, you would have learned she was not invited - turn your ire on the head of France who deliberately and shamefully did not invite the Queen of England - the ONLY one who would been in that lineup who actually was in uniform and served in that war -

Here's an idea. Never hurts to learn something.

Here ya go -

http://www.onlinewatchmovies.net/2009/03/queen-2006-hollywood-movie-watch-online.html

[C19fan]

1: Nu Labour has shown remarkable apathy to this anniversary. This is probably the last opportunity of D-Day vets to go back to Normandy. At first Nu Labour was unwilling to foot the bill so the vets can go one last time. It took some of the UK press especially the Daily Mail to express outrage and raised a tidy sum to finance the trips. Nu Labour enentually gave in.

2: The Queen as head of state needs a formal invitation to show up to an event like this. Given the apathy of Nu Labour to this event the French did not invite her. Some French spokesperson claimed Sarkozy just wanted Zero to himself without worrying about Her Majesty stealing the limelight.

3: Some other Frenchies claimed they wanted to invite Her Majesty but did not hear anything back from 10 Downing Street.

To summarize Queen Elizabeth was snubbed due to Sarkozy wanting to kiss TOTUS butt and apathy from Nu Labour.

[NoPrisoners]

“You know why, and I know why, but I can’t say.”

C'mon Chuck! Be a stand-up guy for once and tell everyone that BROWN & OBAMA & SARKOZY are sexist, elitist, socialist dweebs that don't give a FIG for history or honoring those who truly deserve it!!! Talk about media and power whores!

Like your Mum, for instance, WHO WAS A MECHANIC AND DROVE AN AMBULANCE during WWII! Or perhaps all the VETERANS WHO SHOWED UP DESPITE YOU GUYS SHOWING UP!!!

What an OUTRAGE! Obama Beach my arse!!!

[NoPrisoners]

...but what gives that she can't get off her high-horse and pay respects to the many who gave their lives for the turning point of WWII?

It's not your fault. You are obviously a product of our dumbed-down school system.

The Queen has always been involved in these commemorations. Her presence honors those who fought. This time around however, the BOYZ decided she shouldn't be there to steal the spotlight.