by Elizabeth Pineau and Michael Holden
PARIS (Reuters) – King Charles III and Queen Camilla began a three-day state visit to Paris on Wednesday, rich in symbols, aimed at strengthening Franco-British ties damaged by post-Brexit tensions.
A State dinner bringing together some 160 guests in the Hall of Mirrors of the Palace of Versailles closed this day also marked by a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, a descent of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées and a bilateral meeting between the British sovereign and French president.
“Despite Brexit and because what binds us comes from so far away, I know that we will continue to write together part of the future of our continent,” declared Emmanuel Macron during the ‘toast’ preceding the meal concocted by French chefs, whose menu announced blue lobster, Bresse poultry, cheeses and a raspberry and rose cake.
Like the French president, King Charles III spoke of the approach of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, in 2024, and insisted on the importance of preserving “our precious Planet”.
“It is important for us to reinvigorate our friendship so that it is up to the challenges of the 21st century,” said the sovereign in a speech, mixed with humor, delivered in French.
Both Emmanuel Macron and Charles III paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, who died in September 2022.
Among the guests we could recognize the British actor Hugh Grant, the photographer Bettina Rheims, the singer and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, the rocker Mick Jagger, the former footballer Patrick Vieira, the president of Hermès Axel Dumas and that of the LVMH group Bernard Arnault.
A few hours earlier, the royal couple was greeted as they got off the plane at Orly airport by the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the British Ambassador to France, Menna Rawlings.
They then joined Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe for a military ceremony held in the presence of part of the government and numerous political figures.
A passage by the Patrouille de France and the British Red Arrows colored the Paris sky with blue, white and red bands while the anthems of the two countries rang out.
TWO OAKS AS A GIFT
The king and the president boarded a Citroën DS7 for the descent of the Champs-Elysées in the company of the horses of the Republican Guard, under the eyes of passers-by, some of whom shouted “bravo” as the procession passed.
Rozalie Zackova, 28, who works nearby, came to see the sovereigns pass by. “I like the royal family, it’s something unattainable, I find it a dream, as they have a special status. And then also for the gossips!”.
His colleague Siham Bakali, 31, was less enthusiastic: “It’s a historic event, and since we’re right next door we’re taking advantage of it. We especially hope to see the planes,” he said in reference to the Patrol of France.
Arriving at the Elysée in the company of their wives, the king and president then had a bilateral meeting where subjects such as climate, biodiversity and the situation in Ukraine and the Sahel were to be discussed.
French President Brigitte Macron and the royal couple will visit the construction site of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Thursday, ravaged by a fire in April 2019.
The King and Queen will travel by train to Bordeaux on Friday, a city with a large British community, to visit an organic vineyard.
Francophile and French-speaking, like Elizabeth II before him, King Charles made an official visit to France around thirty times before acceding to the throne.
The 74-year-old sovereign, keen on ecology, should take up the theme of defending nature in his speech scheduled for Thursday morning in the Senate.
Gifts were exchanged. On the French side, Emmanuel Macron offered his host an original edition of Romain Gary’s novel “The Roots of Heaven”, a commemorative medal and two oaks from the park of the Palace of Versailles, which were planted in the embassy garden of Great Britain.
The king, for his part, offered the president a work by Voltaire entitled “Letters on the English”.
Initially scheduled for the spring shortly after their coronation, Charles and Camilla’s state visit to France was postponed due to unrest linked to pension reform.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Michael Holden and Juliette Jabkhiro, edited by Blandine Hénault and Jean Terzian)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.