King Charles joined by sport and entertainment royalty at star-studded state banquet in France
King Charles addressed the Palace of Versailles, saying governments should work as rapidly as possible against the threat of climate change, in French, as Royal Editor Chris Ship reports
King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by royalty from the world of stage, sport and screen at a glamorous state banquet in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.
The King and Queen Camilla were guests of honour at the black tie dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger and actor Hugh Grant, were among the 160 guests addressed by Charles and Mr Macron on Wednesday evening.
In a speech - delivered in French - the King spoke movingly about how his parents made "quite a splash, dancing till the early hours" on their trip to Paris back in 1948.
The current monarch is visiting Paris and Bordeaux, six months after the trip was rescheduled because of widespread rioting across France.
High-profile figures were invited to the dinner to mark their “contribution to UK-France relations”.
Well-known faces o football, including former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Patrick Vieira, who played for Arsenal and managed Crystal Palace, were also in attendance.
Guests dined on lobster, Bresse chicken and cheese.
Camilla dazzled in a midnight blue silk crepe dress and matching cape by Dior, and wore sapphire and diamonds inherited from the late Queen.
The King told the president: “Your generosity of spirit brings to mind how my family and I were so greatly moved by the tributes paid in France to my mother, the late Queen, whose funeral took place one year ago yesterday.
“Mr President, among the many profoundly moving gestures here, the flying of the Union flag at the Elysee was particularly poignant.
“Your words, at that time, meant a great dealt to us too. You said that she had touched your hearts – and it was she who held France in the greatest affection, as, of course, did my grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
“My parents’ first official visit together was to France in 1948, shortly after their wedding.
“By all accounts, they made quite a splash, dancing till the early hours at the glamourous Chez Carrere in the Rue Pierre Charron, serenaded by Edith Piaf.
“I suspect it may have left an indelible impression on me, even six months before I was born – La Vie En Rose is one of my favourite songs to this day.”
The King also said relations between the UK and France have not always been “straightforward”, but went on to stress the unity between the nations.
Charles also mentioned the importance of Britain working with France to tackle climate change, on a day the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, rowed back on green policies.
The King continued: “Mr President, in all of this we can rely on our firm friendship, which is renewed and reinvigorated with each new generation.
“I would like, if you would allow me, to raise a toast to President and Madame Macron and to the French people, as well as to our entente cordiale – a sustainable alliance.
“Whatever lies ahead, may it endure, faithful and constant, for centuries to come.”
Earlier Charles gave Mr Macron a book containing photographs of the pair together, as well as a complete edition of French philosopher Voltaire’s writings, when he visited the Elysée Palace, the president’s official residence.
In return, Mr Macron gave the King a golden coin featuring Charles’s portrait, as well as a prize-winning French novel.
The pair arrived at the Elysée together by car, closely followed by the Queen and the president’s wife Brigitte Macron.
They later planted an oak tree, also a gift from Mr Macron.
The royal couple had landed at Paris Orly airport, where they were greeted with a guard of honour from the Republican Guard, which is part of the French National Gendarmerie.
They then attended a ceremony of remembrance and wreath-laying at the Arc de Triomphe in the centre of the capital.
Charles symbolically lit the monument’s eternal flame, which burns in memory of those who died in the First and Second World Wars.
It was the first time in 30 years the ceremony has been included in a state visit.
The French and British national anthems were played and there was a flypast by the Patrouille de France and Red Arrows before the couples travelled down the Champs Elysees by car.
The majority of the original royal programme has been retained but a few new elements have been added, including the Queen and Mrs Macron launching a new Franco-British literary prize at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.
The planned tour in March was to be their first state visit, but it was postponed at the last minute after violent nationwide demonstrations by those opposed to Mr Macron’s retirement age reforms.
Bordeaux’s town hall was set on fire by protesters just a few days before the trip was due to begin.
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