After having had to postpone his first state visit to France, initially scheduled for March, King Charles III will arrive in Paris on September 20. Under the gold of the Palace of Versailles or in a Bordeaux vineyard, this visit is intended to celebrate the long Franco-British friendship.
Many stages will mark this visit, reflecting the history between the two countries, the desire to reactivate Franco-British relations damaged by Brexit and the migratory crisis, but also King Charles’ commitment to the environment.
A British Foreign Office official noted on Wednesday that relations have been “steadily improving” since a bilateral summit in Paris in March attended by Rishi Sunak and several of his ministers. The contrast was stark after tensions with Rishi Sunak’s predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
In Paris, the Élysée hosted a visit that “constitutes an honor done to France and illustrates the depth of the historical ties that unite our two countries.” Here are the details of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s visit to France.
• Wednesday, September 20: speech in the Senate and state dinner in Versailles
Upon their arrival in Paris, Carlos and Camilla will join Emmanuel Macron and his wife, at the Arc de Triomphe, to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, “marking the shared sacrifices of the past and a lasting legacy of cooperation.” , specifies the royal.uk site. They will then walk down the Champs Elysées together to the Elysée Palace.
There, the King will talk with the President of the Republic. The two heads of state will discuss, in particular, climate change, continuing the discussions that began in particular at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, when Emmanuel Macron and the then-Prince Charles chaired a joint meeting on the subject.
Also on this first day the King will deliver a speech in the Senate, before the deputies and senators. Perhaps this Francophile king will address a few words in French to his audience.
At night, the state dinner will be held at the Palace of Versailles, a must on a state visit, of which the King and Queen will be the guests of honor.
• Thursday September 21: sustainable development and rugby in Saint-Denis
On the second day of their official visit, Charles and Camilla will fulfill their commitments on their own.
The king will thus attend, in the company of Emmanuel Macron, a “reception on sustainable development that will bring together British and French business leaders”. They will discuss with the king and the president “their investment projects in favor of the protection of biodiversity and the fight against climate change.” A way of underlining once again the commitment of King Carlos in this area.
Meanwhile, Queen Camilla will launch with Brigitte Macron a new Franco-British literary prize at the National Library of France. Passionate about literature, Camilla launched at the beginning of 2021 the instagram an account to share your literary favourites. This initiative became a festival, the Queen’s Reading Room Festival.
Next, the Kings will meet with athletes and sports associations to promote the benefits of sport, especially for young people. To do this, they will go to the “Village rugby” in Saint-Denis, in Seine-Saint-Denis, where the rugby World Cup will be held from September 8 to October 28.
• Friday September 22: experimental forest and organic vineyard in Bordeaux
On the last day of his visit, a little shorter than the one scheduled for March, the king will go to Bordeaux. The king will meet there with the first responders who fought the fires in the region in the summer of 2022 and with the communities affected by these fires. He will visit the Experimental Forest, an urban forest designed to observe the resilience of urban forests to climate change.
The Kings will discuss Franco-British collaboration in defense matters with British and French soldiers.
Next, the royal couple will meet, within the framework of the Great campaign of the British tourist office Visitbritain, with English and French businessmen.
Finally, before flying to the United Kingdom, the royal couple will visit an organic vineyard, “a pioneer in the sustainable approach to wine production,” the royal site says.
Source: BFM TV
