VSn June 5, 2014, François Hollande welcomes the Queen as part of the ceremonies of the 70e anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy. This commemoration is accompanied by a short official visit to Paris. Very aware of the great age of the sovereign (88 years old), Buckingham Palace asked the Élysée to restrict the duration and the number of events she attends.
For the two countries, it is also a question of demonstrating the importance of the Entente Cordiale within the European Union when the referendum on membership is due to take place in two years. For the rest, there is a concordance of views on the files, terrorism or the “jungle” of Calais. London provided logistical support to the French expeditionary force deployed in Mali.
Although his English is very hesitant, Hollande is an Anglophile by geographical attachment. Originally from Rouen, he spent his youth in Normandy, a region dear to his guest, who bears the title of duchess of the place. As the sovereign comes to France every ten years, he decided to offer her a leather photo display specially made by Hermès containing photos of her six visits to France since the first, in 1948, when she was not still crown princess.
Julie Gayet is not present
Elizabeth II chooses to take the Eurostar. His Bentley is waiting for him at the Gare du Nord. After walking down the Champs-Élysées and meditating in front of the flame of the Arc de Triomphe, Her Majesty received 600 guests at a “garden party” at the British Embassy. She adores the residence, one of the most magnificent historic residences in the French capital, which brings back so many fond memories of her previous stays.
The next day, the Queen took part in the anniversary of the landing in Ouistreham (Calvados) in the presence of 3,000 veterans, had lunch with other distinguished guests, before returning to Paris to take part in the gala banquet at the Élysée. A long day for a lady of that age.
READ ALSO2004: Jacques Chirac very complicit with the “myth” Elizabeth IIThe cover of the menu offered by the Élysée reproduces that of the agapes of the official visit to Paris of Elizabeth’s grandfather, George V. In terms of layout, Hollande opted for an oval head table at the end of the room and round tables reminiscent of a wedding dinner.
While across the Channel the participants in a banquet are presented beforehand before going to the table with the royal couple and their distinguished guests, the French president, the queen and her husband suddenly appear at the entrance to the village hall, which they cross slowly from end to end to gain their place. The host wanted to avoid making his visitor uncomfortable. His companion, Julie Gayet, is not present.
supreme affront
In her speech, alternately in English and in French, the Queen affirms in a deadpan tone: “The Channel is not a dividing line, but a hyphen. David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, is at the head table. In Hollande’s mind, the brilliance of this visit should help him in the Brexit referendum campaign which promises to be difficult.
READ ALSOHow Charles III’s visit to France will be organized according to the disputesIn his Memoirs, the former leader of the British right will not return the elevator. On the contrary, he claims that the refusal of the French president to make concessions on the free movement of workers within the European Union played an important role in the defeat of the retention camp during the consultation of June 23, 2016.
Above all, reading Cameron, François Hollande constantly returned to his commitments made in private. On Ukraine, in particular, by refusing, in 2014, to apply sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Crimea “so as not to hinder French arms sales to Moscow”.
It is a fact. Obsessed with his attempt to mediate in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, Hollande prefers, during the coffee following the banquet, to discuss with French journalists his mission of good offices between Putin and Poroshenko – Ukrainian president between June 2014 and May 2019 – rather than to look after his British guests. The host of the banquet “snubs” Elizabeth II to the point of making her wait for several minutes at the head table. And, supreme affront, he does not touch his champagne during the toast.
No face-to-face interview with Macron
To close the visit, the queen walks the next day to the flower market on the Ile de la Cité, renamed in her name for the occasion. Lord Peter Ricketts, British Ambassador to Paris, said: “We wanted to meet the people of Paris but also leave a record of their visit. The Town Hall first wanted to name a street in his name, but, by convention, it is reserved for deceased personalities. Anne Hidalgo then offered us the flower market. »
François Hollande is the only president of the Ve Republic, with Emmanuel Macron, who was not entitled to a state visit to the United Kingdom. Would he have had the honor if he had been re-elected? Not sure. For the British, the problem is not to forgive diplomatic snubs, the problem is that they never forget them.
READ ALSOCharles III at Versailles: Mélenchon and Rousseau sharpen their pikesElizabeth II met Emmanuel Macron twice: in June 2019, in Portsmouth, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and in December 2019, during the 70e NATO anniversary in London. These were public meetings that did not give rise to any face-to-face interviews.
Receiving King Charles III in Paris, from March 26 to 29, the president would do well to meditate on the failures of his predecessor if he wishes to make a state trip across the Channel. The former imperial power has a long memory…