France hosts state visit for UK’s King Charles amid post-Brexit warming relations
- Charles had hoped for a state visit to France to have been his first as king, but a March trip was postponed due to tense protests over Macron’s pension reforms
- He and Queen Camilla were guests of honour at a state dinner with a guest list that included Hugh Grant, Mick Jagger and French billionaire Bernard Arnault
Britain’s King Charles arrived in France on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, during which he and President Emmanuel Macron will hope to build on symbolism and personal bonds to turn the page on years of rocky relations between the two nations.
The king and his wife, Queen Camilla, were the guests of honour at a state dinner in the 17th-century Versailles palace, where blue lobster and a selection of French and English cheeses were on the menu.
“Despite Brexit and because our ties are so old, I know that we will continue to write together part of our continent’s history,” Macron said in a toast.
More than 150 guests were invited to the banquet at the sumptuous palace, including British actor Hugh Grant, rock star Mick Jagger, French billionaire Bernard Arnault and former Arsenal football coach Arsene Wenger.
Earlier, Charles and Camilla were greeted on arrival at Paris’ Orly airport by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, before heading to a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, where they paid tribute to French and British soldiers who died in two world wars.