Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder had formally expressed a wish to attend the memorial service for French ex-president Jacques Chirac, yet his invitation request was rejected writes Spiegel.
The reason for the snub may have been a misunderstanding, says the publication.
At the same time, Spiegel writes that the German politician had intended to attend the ceremony, without an official invitation.
A place for Schroeder was reportedly reserved at the church where the farewell ceremony took place.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the outgoing head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker are just some of those who arrived in the French capital to pay their last respects to Chirac, as well as former dignitaries who worked closely with France’s ex-president.
Jacques Chirac died on 26 September at the age of 86.
The former statesman served as president of France from 1995 to 2007, during a political career that spanned four decades.
Monday was declared a national day of mourning, with a minute's silence held in schools and public buildings across the country.
Following a private family service, French armed forces gave Chirac military honours at the Invalides military hospital, with the coffin proceeding to the Saint Sulpice church for a midday memorial ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and some 30 other heads of state and government leaders.
Chirac was buried at the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris, near his daughter.