He arrives in Paris on September 20 for a 3-day trip to France which will also take him to Seine Saint-Denis and then to Bordeaux. And Charles comes with his temperament! Also, the monarch has already assured that he will not consume foie gras during the dinner prepared for him in Versailles by the three-starred Yannick Alléno and Anne-Sophie Pic, the famous pastry chef Pierre Hermé, and the chef of the kitchens of du Élysée Palace, Fabrice Desvisgnes.
Has the “pampered prince” become a spoiled king?
The man who was for many years the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, waited all his life to take the place of his mother, Elizabeth II. And in private, at Clarence House, where he lived for 20 years, he would have imposed his little quirks on the staff. As her biographers tell it, Camilla Parker Bowles’ husband couldn’t do anything for himself – whether it was breakfast, laundry, washing… and even less cleaning!
Nicknamed the “pampered prince“by its employees, its little whims have been recorded through time, and travel… Also we learned in My Londonwho quotes Graham Newbould, a former Crown employee that “Wherever the prince goes in the world, his breakfast box goes with him. He has six different types of honey, special mueslis, his dried fruits and anything that’s a bit special and that he’s a bit picky about.”. Tina Brown’s book, “The Palace Papersalso says that he carries his own toilet bowl and personal toilet paper, the “Kleenex Velvet“wherever he goes…
Will there be a hiccup during his stay?
And if the atmosphere around Charles seems rather tyrannical behind the palace doors, his former valet Paul Buller assured “if anyone does something wrong, everyone is scolded“, there is no doubt that Charles III will be surprised by the very French hospitality of his hosts this week.
F.A.