King Charles Delivers Historic Speech to the French Senate
King Charles and Queen Camilla were welcomed to France yesterday and attended a state banquet at the iconic Palace of Versailles. And today, both royals have delivered speeches in French as they carry out a busy day of engagements in Paris.
The King addressed the French Senate in a keynote speech that saw him become the first British royal ever to make a speech from the Chamber. He received a rousing standing ovation from French Parliamentarians for the address, which began with him describing his honor at being invited to make such a speech. As expected, the King paid tribute to his late mother Queen Elizabeth, who he noted that president Macron once described as “the golden thread that binds our nations.”
“When my mother died almost exactly one year ago, my family and I were moved beyond measure by the tributes that were paid to her across France,” the King said. “This morning, I read again the deeply touching words of condolence that Your Excellencies, Presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, wrote at that time. You described Her late Majesty as having embodied the dignity of our own democracy and that as ‘She loved France, France loved her.’ I can hardly describe how much these words meant to me, and to my entire family. I can only thank you, and the people of France, for the great kindness you showed to us, and our people, at a time of such grief.”
The King also spoke of his own relationship with France, noting that this is his thirty-fifth official visit to the country yet his first state visit. Speaking of alliances between France and the U.K he took the opportunity to show his support for the people of Ukraine. “Together, we stand in resolute solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Together, we are steadfast in our determination Ukraine will triumph, and that our cherished freedoms will prevail.”
It was expected that the King would speak extensively in French, however it may have been more of a surprise to many that Queen Camilla also delivered a speech in French during a visit with Madame Macron to launch a new U.K - France literary prize at the French national library.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you will forgive my slightly rusty French, but it is now 60 years since I was a student at the Institut Britannique in Paris,” Camilla began. “It is a huge pleasure to be here with Mme Brigitte Macron today, in this wonderful library, to launch the Prix de L’Entente Littéraire.”
The Queen added, “Brigitte Macron and I share a deep love of literature and a passion to promote literacy: through our respective work, we have seen first-hand the life-changing power of books to bring us joy, comfort, companionship, laughter and tears, opening our eyes to others’ experiences and reminding us that we are not alone.”
Following their respective addresses, the royal couple were scheduled to make a joint visit to Le19M Campus on the outskirts of Paris which is home to craft houses. It is the location of a new Métiers d’Art Fellowship Programme launched in February 2023 by Charles’s charity The Prince’s Foundation and Chanel. The couple will also visit Notre Dame Cathedral later today.
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