It’s the excitement of the big days at the Palace of Versailles. King Charles III and Queen Camilla are received there for a state dinner, Wednesday September 20, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron. They were preceded by some 160 guests. Among them, actors Hugh Grant, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Emma Mackey, writer Ken Follett, singer Mick Jagger and former Arsenal FC coach Arsène Wenger.
Your visit to France is “a tribute to our past” and a pledge “future”declared Emmanuel Macron to Charles III, evoking the “intertwined destinies” of France and the United Kingdom. “I know that we will continue to write part of the future of our continent together”, continued the French president. Saying “touch” by the welcome given by France, King Charles III invited France and the United Kingdom to work more together: “It is up to us to reinvigorate our friendship so that it meets the challenges of the 21st century”. Follow our live stream.
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Arc de Triomphe and descent of the Champs-Elysées. As soon as they arrived in Paris, Charles III and Camilla rekindled the flame of the unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe. Then, Emmanuel Macron and Charles III, aboard a presidential DS 7 Crossback, and Camille and Brigitte Macron, in another DS 7, descended the Champs-Elysées.
Reception at the Palace of Versailles. The two couples are expected at the Palace of Versailles. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will arrive at 7:55 p.m. and Charles III and Camilla 8 p.m. in the royal court at the red carpet level. They will first attend a brief concert by Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich in the royal chapel and then reach the Hall of Mirrors via the row of the King’s Grand Apartment. Some 160 guests are expected.
Blue lobster and Bresse poultry in the Hall of Mirrors. The table will be set in the prestigious Hall of Mirrors and the meal served in Sèvres porcelain. The starter, entrusted to three-star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, will consist of blue lobster and crab cake with a veil of fresh almonds and a dash of mint-rooster gel. The main course must be prepared by the three-star chef Yannick Alléno: the royal couple will taste Bresse poultry with a corn flavor garnished with a porcini mushroom gratin. Master cheesemaker Bernard Antony, a reference for many Michelin-starred restaurants, will play on the Entente Cordiale: he will offer a 30-month Comté and a Stichelton, a 100% English blue cheese. For dessert, pastry chef Pierre Hermé will pull out all the stops with his Ispahan rose macaroon biscuit, redesigned for the occasion.
Speech to the Senate, construction site of Notre-Dame then passage to Bordeaux. After this busy first day, Charles III must deliver a speech to the Senate. He will then visit the Notre-Dame construction site and the flower market on the Île de la Cité, a place cherished by his mother. On Friday, the royal couple is due to travel to Bordeaux, where 39,000 Britons now reside.