No banquet at Versailles, nor ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe for Charles III and his wife, Camilla. It was decided on March 24, 2023 that the visit scheduled from March 26 to 29 in Paris and Bordeaux would be canceled, in the margin of the demonstrations against the pension reform.
It is not yet clear. The blow fell in the middle of the day, two days before the planned arrival of King Charles III and Camilla in France: the visit is cancelled. In a statement the Élysée announced that because of “a new day of national action against pension reform next Tuesday, March 28 in France,” the official trip of the king and his wife would be postponed. A decision that would have been taken by mutual agreement between the King of England and Emmanuel Macron during “a telephone exchange”.
On the other side of the Channel, however, things are not presented in this way. According to a statement from the British Prime Minister’s office, tweeted by Daily Mail journalist and royal columnist Rebecca English, “the decision was taken in a concerted manner, after the President of France asked the British government to postpone the visit.” According to the words of the British government spokesman, it would be Emmanuel Macron who would be at the initiative of this postponement.
A visit too dangerous for Charles III
The monarchic dinner at Versailles already posed major logistical and image concerns: in the midst of social discontent, difficult to receive a monarch in a castle … In addition to the complicated management of this banquet, a new day of demonstrations scheduled for March 28 has been added to the program. Disruptions had already been announced earlier this week to disrupt the visit of the monarch. In a statement released by the CGT Culture following the general meeting of Tuesday, March 21, the 130 agents of the Mobilier National and the Manufactures de tapis, de tapisserie had indicated to renew their strike movement in protest of the pension reform. “We are fully aware that at the end of the week, the King of England will be welcomed in France and that our services will be requested. […] It will be without us! We are in solidarity with the English workers, especially in the cultural sector (British Museum, Wallace collection,…), who have been on strike for weeks to increase their salaries”, the press release added.
Photo credits: Agency / Bestimage