2023-09-20 19:22:00
He The Palace of Versailles dressed up to receive the British kings, Charles III and Camilla, on his first state visit to France. President Emmanuel Macron received the king with a brilliant banquet at the former French royal residence as part of a three-day trip aimed at showing the strength of ties between the countries even after Brexit.
The visit, which was rescheduled from March due to the violent protests against pension reform that shook France at the time, also aims to show Charles’ stature as a statesman just over a year after the death of his mother and predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II.
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Charles III, 74, and Camilla, 75, were greeted outside the Palace of Versailles by Macron and his wife Brigitte, before entering to join other guests. Among the guests at the dinner were luminaries such as British rock legend Mick Jagger and former French coach of the Arsenal soccer team Arsene Wenger.
Other guests at the dinner in the glittering Hall of Mirrors included English celebrity Hugh Grant and Charlotte Gainsbourg, actress and daughter of French singer Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin, former footballer Didier Drogba and the richest man in the world, luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault. French businessman Xavier Niel and his partner were also invited. Delphine Arnault, French director and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton.
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Queen Camilla wore her favorite bracelet Van Cleef & Arpels matching dress and a cape dress, while the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, opted for a tighter model with a shiny belt and cuffs.
The banquet menu delights such as blue lobster cooked as a starter by star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, who said she was inspired by the tastes of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, who built Versailles. It is unlikely, however, that “foie gras” was servedobtained by force feeding ducks or geese, because Charles III, who banned it in his home.
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Versailles, the palace of the Sun King with which France seeks to impress its guests
The Palace of Versailles, seat of the monarchy in France before the Revolution of 1789, was the setting chosen to entertain the king, as was done with other leaders in the past, from China to Mexico, passing through Russia. Emmanuel Macron resumed the custom by receiving the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in 2017.
France, which beheaded its own kings, has long maintained a close relationship with British royalty, whom he has entertained at Versailles for the last 170 years. In 1855, Emperor Napoleon III hosted a ball with 1,200 guests at Versailles for the visit of Queen Victoria, the first trip to Paris by a British monarch in 400 years.
Almost a century later, with Europe on the brink of World War II in 1938, King George VI and his wife Elizabeth were welcomed to Versailles for lunch. Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, made her first official visit to France with her husband Philippe in 1957 and had lunch at the great jewel of Versailles, the dazzling Gallery of Mirrors.
As if the gold and mirrors were not enough, France always tried to conquer its guests by the stomach. However Victoria, known for her voracious appetite, wrote in 1855 that “although the fowl and broth are quite delicious,” French cuisine had “less variety” than British cuisine. In 1903, his son Edward VII was entertained with a banquet of 16 courses, an amount reduced to four or five in the time of Elizabeth II.
Versailles has also been the place of reception for many distinguished commoners. In the postwar years, President Charles de Gaulle chose the palace to host John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon when they were presidents of the United States. His successor, Georges Pompidou, invited Mexican President Luis Echeverría in 1973, who was able to enjoy a dinner in Versailles, followed by a ballet performance.
A three-day visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla landed this Wednesday at Orly airport, on the outskirts of Paris, where the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, was waiting at the foot of the runway, at the beginning of a three-day visit that will include stops at the capital, but also in Versailles, Saint-Denis and the Bordeaux region.
“Welcome, Your Majesty”published the president, Emmanuel Macron, on their social networks, along with a video that shows images of former visits by the British monarch during his time as Prince of Wales. In fact, Charles III had chosen France as his first official visit abroad as king, but the protests truncated the plans of both parties.
Driven down the Champs-Elysées to their talks at the Elysee Palace, Macron and the king were earlier seen chatting amicably while Camilla and Macron’s wife Brigitte followed in a similar vehicle. After their conversations in the Elysée, Charles and Macron walked the short distance to the British ambassador’s residencestopping to shake hands with well-wishers on the exclusive rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré.
In the midst of a major security operation – which will mobilize 8,000 police and gendarmes – Charles III will give an opening speech on Thursday before the Senate of the French upper house and will also give a speech on the environment, one of his most beloved causes. for a long time. On Friday, the last day, he will go with the queen to Bordeaux.
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