Queen Elizabeth visits France as part of D-Day commemorations

The Queen of England is honouring a French secret agent today who worked under Winston Churchill during World War II. The Queen is on a three-day state visit to France as part of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The former secret agent, Robert Maloubier, is to be made a member of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for the sabotage work he carried out as a member of the British Army during the war. Following the presentation, the Queen will travel to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the region’s beaches. Here she will be joined by her grandson the Duke of Cambridge and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. After the commemoration ceremony, she will attend a formal banquet with President Hollande at the Elysée palace, partially a celebration for the Queen’s official birthday. On the final day of her trip, the Queen will visit a Parisian flower market which is to be renamed in her honour. The Queen first visited the flower market in 1948 as a young princess, then pregnant with her son Prince Charles. Such a gesture as renaming a market is rare on behalf of the French authorities for a person who is still alive, and a senior aide at the Elysée revealed it was part of an “exceptional effort” to honour the queen, who is well-liked in France. “They know she speaks French very well, that she likes being in France… There is a real warmth and affection,” confirmed British ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts. The Riviera Times