It’s official: Charles III will finally settle down in France. A trip that the sovereign was already scheduled to make between Sunday March 26 and Wednesday March 29, 2023, but with the various demonstrations and strikes around pension reform, the French and British governments chose to cancel this first official visit as king. A decision taken to avoid any overflow and allow travel in the best possible conditions. The date was found very quickly since Charles III and his wife will arrive in France by train on Wednesday September 20, 2023, then stay until Friday September 22, 2023. Thursday September 14, 2023, a few days before the arrival of the royal couple, the Élysée revealed the program for these two days which promise to be intense. For his first day, Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles will therefore go to the Arc de Triomphe, then make a descent on the Champs-Élysées.
Two nods to Elizabeth II
The next day, Thursday September 21, 2023, the day is likely to be emotional for King Charles III. The English sovereign will visit an emblematic place: the Queen Elizabeth II flower market, located on the Île de la Cité, Place Louis Lépine in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. A way of paying tribute to her mother who died on Thursday September 8, 2022, who came to this place during her first state visit in 1948. On June 7, 2014, this market was renamed as such by the late queen herself. Another symbolic location for his first dinner in France, Charles III chose the Palace of Versailles as the reception venue for the official dinner, more specifically in the Hall of Mirrors, in the presence of 150 to 180 guests. The music will be provided by Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich. A choice which once again refers to Queen Elizabeth II, received at Versailles during her visit to France in 1972. Among the other places visited, the Senate, Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral and the Natural History Museum. Thursday morning, the royal couple will leave the capital for Bordeaux. The program has not been revealed, but Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will not be there. Charles III and Camilla Parker Bowles will be welcomed by Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces.