Dates of King Charles III’s September visit to France confirmed
It will be his first official visit as monarch and he will spend time in Bordeaux and Paris
It will be the King’s 35th official visit to France, but his first as monarch
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The dates when King Charles III will visit France next month have been confirmed. He will arrive in France on September 20 and return to the UK on September 22.
He will visit with his wife Queen Camilla and spend time in both Bordeaux and Paris.
It will be Charles III’s first official visit to France as monarch, after an earlier trip in March was postponed due to violent protests surrounding France’s pension reform bill that were taking place during the scheduled dates.
The March visit was set to be the King’s first overseas state visit as monarch before moving on to Germany. Instead he travelled straight to Germany.
Trip will celebrate ‘shared cultures’ of two countries
The official announcement of the King and Queen’s visit by the British Embassy in France said the trip “will celebrate the culture, history, and shared values of the United Kingdom and France.”
It will be Charles III’s 35th official visit to France – and Queen Camilla’s ninth – but his first as reigning monarch.
Although the exact details of the visit are yet to be released, it is expected many of the events planned as part of the original trip – including a reception at the Élysée Palace and dinner at Versailles – will remain.
The King had originally wanted to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral during the visit, said General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the man in charge of rebuilding the iconic cathedral, to The Connexion earlier this year.
General Georgelin died on August 18 whilst hiking in the Pyrénées mountains.
Read more: France will win Notre-Dame rebuild challenge, says general in charge
King is a Francophile
Like his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Charles III is a Francophile – choosing France as his first overseas state visit was no coincidence, even if the initial plans did not materialise.
He has spent an extensive amount of time in the country, both whilst undertaking official duties as the Prince of Wales and for personal leisure time.
Below you can see a video of him speaking French during a visit to Canada:
“The King can speak perfect French. He learnt it during his time at Cambridge University,” said French expert on the British Monarchy, Kévin Guillot.
Queen Camilla is also fluent in French, studying both French language and Literature at the University of London institute in Paris.
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