King George VI and Queen Elizabeth are joined by their daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as the crowd cheers at their VE Day appearance May 8, 1945. (Associated Press)

No members of Britain's Royal Family will attend ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day after France failed to invite Queen Elizabeth, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

"We have not received an invitation to attend a D-Day ceremony, and therefore the Queen and senior members of the Royal Family will not be attending the commemorations next weekend," said a statement from Buckingham Palace spokesman Nick Loughran on Thursday.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama will be among the dignitaries in Normandy on June 6 to mark the anniversary of the Allied landings in France, which accelerated the liberation of Europe from Adolf Hitler's Germany.

Brown and Obama will join French President Nicolas Sarkozy for ceremonies at American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, while Harper will attend events at Juno Beach, the entry point for Canadian soldiers.

The Queen, who served in uniform during the Second World War as a volunteer driver and mechanic, has attended both the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the event to represent Britain, which played a key role in the Normandy naval landings.

The diplomatic faux pas has prompted an uproar in Britain, which lost thousands at Normandy and across France during the war.

French officials, who have called this year's ceremonies a "Franco-American" event, backpedalled on Wednesday and said the Queen was welcome to come. They blamed the British government for its handling of the issue, saying it's the government's job to determine who represents Britain.

'It is an offence, really'

Some British visitors to Paris called the perceived snub offensive, while French residents said they didn't think it was intentional.

"It is an offence, really," said Eleni Laws, who had just stepped off the train from London into the Gare du Nord.

"If they did the same thing to the French prime minister, the French would be up in arms and waving their flags, as they do."

"It's typical of the French," said John Halley, searching for the ticket counter at the Paris train station. "And somehow, it's typical of the Queen."

"We like the English," said Yannick Lauden, reading a novel outside Paris's Musee des Beaux Arts. "English culture, in any case."

"I don't get it, personally," said Guy Briand, browsing the morning papers on a quiet park bench just off the Champs Elysée. "If she comes or not, it's her problem."

Harper will spend two days in France, while a separate government delegation led by Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson tours Canadian battlefields with surviving veterans.

With files from The Associated Press