At a D-Day commemoration ceremony on Wednesday, Queen Elizabeth II was introduced to “leaders … representing the allied nations that took part in D-Day,” according to a tweet from The Royal Family, which included, um…German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1136218825085607936
I mean, sure technically Germany did take part in D-Day, though not exactly in a way you’d like to, you know, thank them for.
Merkel is, of course, not to blame for the actions of Germany during WWII — she wasn’t even born yet — but the wording of the tweet is unfortunate (as most tweets are). Which brings to mind the important adage of “never tweet.“
This isn’t the first time for a D-Day-related gaffe about Germany: Exactly one year ago on June 5, 2018, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert cited the D-Day invasion in an answer about the U.S. having a “very strong relationship” with Germany.
More than a dozen world leaders gathered on Wednesday in England, a day before the 75th Anniversary of the storming of the beaches of Normandy, including President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, and others. Later in the day, German ambassador to France Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, addressed “the unforgettable rupture of civilization that we provoked in Europe.”
The take-away: Not even the Royal Family is immune to Twitter gaffes.