2023-09-20 17:15:00
British King Charles III began his first official visit to France as monarch this Wednesday (20), a three-day trip that seeks to demonstrate that the foundations of the alliance between the countries remain solid after Brexit.
The monarch and his host, President Emmanuel Macron, traveled along the iconic Champs-lyses avenue in a DS7 convertible, escorted by 136 horses of the Republican Guard towards the Élysée Palace.
Scheduled for March, his first trip abroad since his accession to the throne in September 2022 after the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, was supposed to be France, but a social conflict forced him to postpone it, and his first destination was France. Germany.
The original busy agenda in Paris and Bordeaux (southwest) remained almost unchanged, with a state dinner this Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles, southwest of the capital, as the most anticipated moment.
After landing in Paris at around 2pm local time (9am Brasília time), the monarch and his wife, Camilla, headed to the Arc de Triomphe.
Under a blue sky, Macron and his wife, Brigitte, welcomed the monarchs in front of the monument with handshakes and exchanges of kisses between Camilla and Brigitte, before the start of a ceremony in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier.
The heads of state greeted some guests, although the security system prevented the public from approaching.
“We thought we could get a little closer,” said, with disappointment, Apolline Pilorget, who went to the site with her nine-year-old daughter to see the monarchs.
At the end of the first day, the president and his wife will host a sumptuous state dinner at the Palace of Versailles, a symbol of French royalty and the bloody republican revolution of 1789.
Businesspeople, diplomats from both countries are expected to attend the event, as well as celebrities such as actor Hugh Grant, actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emma Mackey, writer Ken Follet and former football player Didier Drogba, among others.
– The steps of Elizabeth II –
The dinner will take place in the Hall of Mirrors, where Elizabeth was welcomed for lunch in 1957. The late queen returned to Versailles in 1972.
In a context of inflation, however, this banquet could affect Macron’s image, six months after the crisis due to his unpopular pension reform.
On Thursday, King Charles III will visit the flower market, near Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris and which, since 2014, has been named after Elizabeth II, who liked to visit the place.
For royal expert and royal historian Ed Owens, the 74-year-old sovereign will address his concerns about the climate and environment during the trip, “on his own terms.” This issue will be central, especially on Thursday, in Paris, and on his visit to Bordeaux, the following day.
The authorities mobilized 8,000 police officers and agents, which will reach 12,000 on Friday, when the king’s visit coincides with that of Pope Francis to Marseille (southeast).
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