Buckingham Palace officials livid over Sarkozy’s D-Day snub to Queen

October 12th, 2009 LONDON - Buckingham Palace is to swing to the hefty rhythms of Bollywood music and dance Tuesday in what promises to be a boisterous celebration in anticipation of a coming visit by President Pratibha Patil. British Asian dance group Nutkhut is to stage its massive dance, Bollywood Steps, inside Buckingham Palace Tuesday in a reception in advance of Patils Oct 24-27 visit - a first for the 172-year-old royal residence.

September 13th, 2009 LONDON - A letter retrieved from the Royal Archives at Windsor Palace reveals Britain's late Queen Mother Elizabeth was left trembling with fear after a Nazi bomb landed on Buckingham Palace.he wrote: "My knees trembled a little bit for a minute or two after the explosions." Referring to her husband, King George VI, she went on: "We both feel quite well today, tho' just a bit tired." The letter was written to her mother-in-law Queen Mary, and will feature in her official biography next week. The insight into the Queen Mum, who died aged 101 in 2002, is fascinating because little is known of her personal views.

August 10th, 2009 LONDON - The royal tradition of servants and guests walking backwards when leaving a room after seeing the Queen has reportedly been deserted over health and safety concerns. The practice was reportedly dropped for most Palace staff and all visitors over fears that it could lead to someone getting injured, and perhaps slapping Buckingham Palace with a lawsuit for damages.

July 26th, 2009 British economists send apology to queenLONDON — Sorry Ma'am — we just didn't see it coming. A British newspaper reported Sunday that a group of eminent economists have apologized to Queen Elizabeth II for failing to predict the financial crisis.

July 6th, 2009 LONDON - Following the global slow down and economic crisis, the Queen is determined to switch from the LPG-fuelled black cab to an environmentally friendly car service, to save money. The Queen's staff at the Buckingham Palace has signed up with Toyota's 'Green Tomato Cars' to cut costs, after they found out about the car from Prince Charles's London office, which switched to its cheaper carbon-efficient Toyota Prius fleet, the Daily Express reports.

June 27th, 2009 LONDON - British monarch Queen Elizabeth II has said that she will not accede to an MPs demand to open Buckingham Palace more often to the public to generate millions in extra revenue for badly needed repairs. According to The Telegraph, the Commons Public Accounts Committee has urged the royal household to devise a business plan for keeping the building open longer to try to pay for a backlog of maintenance that has risen to 32 million pounds.

June 14th, 2009 LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II and Michelle Obama have struck a firm friendship since they first met at the G20 summit in London in April, according to sources. The Queen, in what was suggested to be a sign of close bonding, allegedly let the US First Lady and her daughters to have a rare guided tour of Buckingham Palace during their visit to the capital last week.

June 2nd, 2009 Prince Charles to attend D-Day ceremonyLONDON — Prince Charles will attend this week's 65th-anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings, royal officials said Tuesday, in an attempt to defuse a cross-Channel spat over France's alleged failure to invite his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Charles' office announced he would attend, alongside President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, after days of outrage by British veterans and commentators over the omission of the queen, who is Britain's head of state and supreme commander of its armed forces.

June 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has expressed his desire to have Queen Elizabeth invited to the D-Day commemoration ceremony, that he will attend along with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on June 6 at Normandy in France. The Queen is not part of the official guest list that has been announced.

May 17th, 2009 LONDON - As the astounding disclosure in Britain's parliamentary expenses scam continues to roll out names, Queen Elizabeth has expressed her "dismay" privately. "Her Majesty has made clear her displeasure at what she has learnt.

April 15th, 2009 LONDON - The Queen had sent her "warmest good wishes" to Jade Goody a week before the reality star lost her life to cancer. The Royal had taken the unusual step of sending the heartfelt message in a note that had arrived at the late 27-year-old's home in Upshire, Essex as she lay struggling for her life.

April 2nd, 2009 LONDON - Prince Philip made a gaffe when U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle met the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - Using thermal imaging technology, a team of energy surveyors has determined that the Buckingham Palace tops the list of the "dirty dozen" league of London's most environmentally damaging buildings. According to a report in the Telegraph, the team labeled the palace "shocking and appalling", the biggest "central heating radiator" in the Capital and gave it a score of 0 out of 10.

March 7th, 2009 LONDON - US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are expected to be received by Queen Elizabeth II during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in London next month, according to media reports Friday. The private visit is due to take place at Buckingham Palace before the start of the one-day summit of world leaders in London April 2.

December 22nd, 2008 LONDON - A former butler to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was sentenced by a court in Manchester city Monday to at least six years in prison for child abuse. Paul Kidd was found guilty of abusing underaged boys and possessing more than 18,000 images of child pornography.