King Charles III’s visit to France, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed due to protests against the revision of the retirement age, the French presidency announced.
The decision was “taken this morning by the French and British governments following a telephone conversation” between French President Emmanuel Macron and the monarch, “to welcome His Majesty King Charles III in circumstances consistent with our friendship relationship,” a statement says. from the Élysée Palace,
The British monarch’s state visit will be “reorganized as soon as possible,” the note added.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed and indicated that the monarch’s consort and the queen Camilla “look forward with anticipation to the opportunity to visit France as soon as possible [novas] dates can be found”.
This would be the first state visit for the 74-year-old king, who took the throne on September 8 following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
After the visit to France, which was planned from 26 to 29 March, the King and Queen are planning a state visit to Germany from 29 to 31 March.
The Buckingham Palace program included a flower-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe with the President, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife Brigitte, and a speech by the King in the Senate to MPs and Senators.
Queen Camilla was to open the Manet/Degas exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, and a state banquet was then planned at the Palace of Versailles.
Charles III would then travel to Bordeaux on the 28th to visit an organic vineyard and grounds affected by last summer’s wildfires.
In recent days, however, protests against the revision of the retirement age in France have turned violent, with the entrance to the Bordeaux City Council building set on fire overnight.
In Paris, after more than two weeks, hooded men threw paving stones, bottles and rockets at security forces – who responded by throwing tear gas grenades -, smashed street furniture, broke into shop windows and set fire to garbage bags that had accumulated in the street. strike of the collection services, so that the fire brigade had to intervene.
The demonstration in the French capital attracted 3.5 million people, according to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), and 1.08 million people, according to the police.
Source: DN
