French Audit Cautions Élysée over €475k Cost of King Charles Dinner

THE GUARDIAN: Versailles banquet among lavish spending in 2023 that has plunged president’s office €8m into red

The Versailles banquet aimed to improve political ties, with dignitaries downing almost £36,000-worth of drinks. Photograph: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images | Screenshot taken from the accompanying article
The French president’s office spent nearly €475,000 (£400,100) on a dinner for King Charles last year, the country’s top audit court said in a report cautioning about high spending.

In September 2023, King Charles attended a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles attended by more than 150 people, part of a “soft power” visit aimed at improving ties between London and Paris.

The guests dined on lobster and crab, French poultry marinaded in champagne and a gratin of French ceps (a wild mushroom). Vintage wines and champagnes were on offer, while the dessert was a French macaron with lychee and rose sorbet and raspberry compote. » | Lili Bayer | Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Palace of Versailles Evacuated after Second Bomb Threat in Four Days

GUARDIAN EUROPE: Hundreds of visitors led out of palace as France remains on high alert for possible terror attack

The Palace of Versailles was briefly evacuated for the second time in days after a bomb threat on Tuesday as France remains on high alert for a possible terror attack.

Hundreds of visitors were led out of the palace as a specialist police explosives unit was dispatched to the site. Hours later the palace, which has about 15,000 visitors a day, was reopened and a security cordon lifted.

On Saturday, the palace was cleared and closed after receiving a message suggesting there was a security risk. This came just hours after the Louvre Museum, which has 30,000 visitors daily, was evacuated after receiving a threatening message. Both warnings were found to be false alarms. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Tuesday, October 17, 2023

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Stars Join King Charles at Versailles Banquet during French State Visit

THE GUARDIAN: Trip designed in part as show of friendship to reset UK-French relationship after Brexit years

Queen Camilla and King Charles with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening. Photograph: Stéphane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images
King Charles was welcomed at a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday night, at the start of a state visit to reinforce the renewed UK-France relationship after the near total collapse in trust during the Boris Johnson years after Brexit.

In Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, the famed 17th-century gallery built by the Sun King Louis XIV to project the power and majesty of the French monarchy, King Charles told the French president, Emmanuel Macron: “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 … You said that she had touched your hearts – and it was she who held France in the greatest affection.”

He added: “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.” He was accompanied by Queen Camilla, who wore a blue silk crepe dress and matching cape by Dior, with diamonds inherited from the late Queen. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Versailles | Wednesday, September 20, 2023

The Guardian View on Macron: Progressive and Pro-European. What’s Not to envy?

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: In a speech in Versailles, France’s centrist leader seized his moment. The contrast with Theresa May’s agenda is a sobering one

Emmanuel Macron went to the Palace of Versailles on Monday and proclaimed a French revolution. For those with a feel for French history, this juxtaposition of venue and idea was rich in irony. But the French president’s speech to the newly elected parliament and the senate was one that matters in the here and now, not just in the republic itself but across Europe – and in Britain, too.

In one sense, Mr Macron’s address was familiar for those who have studied his rise. There were few new policy commitments. Those that he made – they included a reduction in the size of the national assembly and other state bodies plus, importantly, the lifting later this year of France’s post-Bataclan state of emergency – were familiar from his presidential campaign. There will be more detail when France’s prime minister, Édouard Philippe, outlines the government’s legislative programme on Tuesday. » | Monday, July 3, 2017

The Debate – The 'Sun President': Macron Sets Out Five-year Plan at Versailles Palace