King Charles III’s state visit to France, scheduled for Sunday to Wednesday, is “postponed”, “given the announcement of a new national day of action against pension reform” Tuesday March 28, announced the Élysée, Friday March 24.
It was French President Emmanuel Macron who made the request to the British government, Downing Street said on Friday.. “The decision was taken with the agreement of all parties, after the President of France asked the British government to postpone the visit”, said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Telephone conversation between Emmanuel Macron and Charles III
The decision was “taken by the French and British governments, after a telephone exchange between the President of the Republic and the King this morning, in order to be able to welcome His Majesty King Charles III under conditions which correspond to our relationship of friendship”wrote for its part the French presidency in a press release, promising a rescheduling of the visit ” as soon as possible “.
King Charles III and his wife Camilla look forward to going to France “as soon as dates can be found”Buckingham Palace said.
A reversal when Thursday the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin nevertheless assured that France was ready to welcome the British sovereign “in excellent condition”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, for his part, indicated that he was not “aware of plans to modify the program”while the social climate in France has become tense this week.
First State Visit
King Charles III was due to arrive in France on Sunday March 26 for his first state visit since his accession to the throne and before his coronation. Several steps were planned. Charles III was due to arrive at Orly airport on Sunday, before attending a ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe on Monday and taking part in a banquet at Versailles in the evening. On Tuesday, the monarch, particularly sensitive to ecology, was to go to Bordeaux to visit an organic vineyard.
Thursday evening, at the end of a ninth day of mobilization against the pension reform which brought together between 1 and 3 million demonstrators all over France, people set fire to the entrance to the town hall of Bordeaux, where Charles III was to go. during his visit. A union of railway workers had also made it known that the royal trip was “in sight”.