During her 70 years of reign Elizabeth II came three times to Touraine, including once to the Château de Chenonceau in 1979 during an official trip to France. Accompanied by the then First Lady Anne-Aymone Giscard-d’Estaing, a very heavy security protocol had been deployed. With the exception of the Covid pandemic, this is the one and only time the castle was closed to the public for an entire day.
Arrival by car with Anne-Aymone Giscard-d’Estaing, Elizabeth II was welcomed at the castle by the owner Jean-Louis Menier and curator Bernard Voisin. Minesweepers, gendarmes… An important security protocol had been put in place, at a time when attacks by the IRA (the Irish Republican Army) were common.
Before her, Chenonceau had already welcomed the mother of Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon who had enjoyed her stay very much. Maybe one of the reasons why Elizabeth II presented the Château de Chenonceau with an official portrait of her mother. And the tradition has been passed on since his son Charles, now King Charles III, also came years later in 1988 with Princess Diana!