2023-09-22 22:52:36
Three days to reaffirm the historic links between the United Kingdom and France. King Charles III completed his state visit to France this Friday, a stay during which he notably pleaded for a new Franco-British “Agreement” to fight against global warming. Military ceremony on the Champs-Élysées, glamorous dinner at Versailles, ovation in the Senate… France pulled out all the stops for the visit of the British king. Back in five images.
First visit to the Champs-Élysées
AFP/Yoan Valat
As soon as you arrive, immediately on the Champs-Élysées. King Charles III inaugurated his state visit this Wednesday with a meticulous military ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, with a drive down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The opportunity for the monarch to see, from afar, a few onlookers who came to meet him on the outskirts of the most famous avenue in the world.
Glitz and glamor at Versailles
AFP/Benoit Tessier/Pool
On the menu: blue lobster, Bresse poultry and rose macaroon, prepared by starred chefs, in Sèvres porcelain. On the guest list, among others: actors Hugh Grant, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emma Mackey, writer Ken Follett, the legendary Mick Jagger and former Arsenal FC coach Arsène Wenger. Wednesday evening, the Palace of Versailles, location of the state dinner in honor of Charles III, became a real diplomatic calling card.
Ovation in the Senate
REUTERS/Emmanuel Dunand AFP or licensors
This was a first for a British sovereign. Thursday, during his visit to the Senate in front of some 300 French parliamentarians, Charles III received a long standing ovation. The reason ? His speech, during which he pleaded for a new “Agreement” between Paris and London on climate, pledging to “do everything in (his) power to strengthen the essential relationship between the United Kingdom and France “. On the diplomatic front, the king, who intends to establish his international image a year after his accession to the throne, also assured the Senate of the “unshakeable determination” of the United Kingdom and France to see Ukraine “to triumph”.
Ping-pong in Saint-Denis
LP/Arnaud Journois Arnaud Journois
On Thursday, Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla went to Saint-Denis, a suburban town but also the nerve center of the 2024 Olympic Games and the location of the necropolis of the kings of France, in the Gothic basilica that the king and queen took the time to visit. Accompanied by Brigitte Macron, the king and queen spoke with French international Presnel Kimpembe and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, who presented Charles III with a club jersey in his name. Relaxed, Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla even played a game of ping-pong in front of young children.
A taste of France
AFP/Christophe Archambault AFP or licensors
To end their visit, the king and his wife Camilla made a detour to the city of Bordeaux, a city historically linked to the United Kingdom. After another crowd in the city center, the monarch, attached to environmental issues, visited an experimental forest in Floirac, before ending with a visit to the Château Smith Haut Lafitte wine estate. The opportunity, this time, to taste French know-how, before returning to his subjects across the Channel.
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