Charles III was welcomed by Emmanuel Macron to a lavish dinner at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening, after a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, a mini-reunion on the first day of a state visit under the banner of reinstating Franco. British friendship.
The King arrived shortly after 8:00pm in the courtyard of the Cave of the Kings of France with Queen Camilla. After a photo session on the red carpet, the pair were able to join other guests for an evening highlight of the three-day trip, their first visit to France as royals.
In the audience, legendary Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, actor Hugh Grant, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, head of the luxury group LVMH Bernard Arnold and former footballer Patrick Vieira will enjoy a royal menu: lobster blue cheese, Bressie chicken and rose macaroons, prepared by star chefs and served on Sèvres porcelain. .
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Earlier at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, the matching wreath-wearing greetings between the two couples heated up, with Brigitte Macron blowing a kiss back to Camilla, a gesture unthinkable with Elizabeth II.
Versailles was chosen for the King’s mother, who was invited to lunch in the same lavish setting in 1957 and returned to Versailles in 1972.
This dinner is followed by a first meeting in the afternoon on the Champs-Élysées for a ceremony to rekindle the flame in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 136 horses from the Republican Guard before heading aboard a DS along “the world’s most famous avenue”.
All in a relaxed atmosphere, like some pats on the back from Emmanuel Macron’s address to Charles III.
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Much to the dismay of Apelline Baillargette, who was accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter, the public was kept away from the ceremony by a large security presence. “We thought we could get a little closer,” she moaned.
Anne-Sophie Hafner, 44, a St. Andrew’s University sweater, waits a little further down with her two children, their heads adorned with plastic crowns.
“At home, we followed all the coronations, funerals, weddings. These are things we only experience in the United Kingdom,” the royal family enthusiast told AFP.
Charles III and Emmanuel Macron later had an interview at the Elysée before heading to the UK ambassador’s nearby residence to plant an oak tree. Chances are for a few “Hail the King”s thrown in here and there.
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By inviting Charles III to Versailles, the French president is following in the footsteps of General de Gaulle, who turned the castle into a true diplomatic calling card. It also sends a strong signal to the UK.
In March, Charles’ first official trip abroad as king was canceled at the last minute, much to the shock of Emmanuel Macron, amid violent protests against pension reform.
Six months later, peace returned, and it was time for the 120th anniversary of the “Entente Cordiale,” or Franco-British concord, to be celebrated next April.
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During a summit in March, the French president and Prime Minister Rishi Chung allowed a “reconnection” between the two capitals after several stormy years when Boris Johnson occupied Downing Street over Brexit, fishing or migrants.
Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday also received British opposition leader Keir Starmer, the favorite in elections scheduled for early 2025.
The king, who is looking to shore up his image internationally after a year on the throne, will begin the most political part of his visit on Thursday with a speech by a British sovereign from the Senate gallery.
He will also highlight a subject close to his heart during a roundtable on global warming, which he will close on Friday with President Macron at the National Museum of Natural History, and later on Friday in Bordeaux, an area hit hard by the fires. There are many Britons in 2022.
About 8,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed on Wednesday and up to 12,000 on Friday, when the king’s visit coincides with that of Pope Francis in Marseille.
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