WASHINGTON -- The White House wants Queen Elizabeth II at D-Day ceremonies later this week. 

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday that President Barack Obama wants to include the queen, who served in uniform during World War II. Gibbs says officials are working to see if that can happen. 

France failed to invite Queen Elizabeth II to Normandy for the 65th anniversary of the Allied landings on June 6. The perceived snub created an uproar in Britain, which lost thousands at Normandy and across France while helping free the country from the Nazis. 

French officials say the queen was welcome to come, but Buckingham Palace says no member of the royal family will attend the ceremonies. Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be there. 

The dispute seems to have taken French officials somewhat by surprise. They insist the monarch was welcome at the ceremony and blamed the British government for mistakes in the handling of what they called a "Franco-American" ceremony. 

"It is not up to France to determine the British representation," French government spokesman Luc Chatel said last week in Paris. "There will be other 6ths of June."