PARIS: King Charles III on Wednesday embarked on his first state visit to France as monarch, a three-day trip aimed at showing the fundamentals of the cross-Channel alliance.
Charles and his host President Emmanuel Macron were driven down the Champs-Elysees for their talks at the Elysee Palace, escorted by 136 horses of the Republican Guard and standing up with the car roof open to acknowledge the greetings of a few thousand people lining the famed avenue.
The trip was initially planned for March and was supposed to have been Charles' first state visit abroad since becoming monarch on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. But it was shelved due to widespread rioting and strikes across France against pension reforms.
The original itinerary in the capital Paris and the southwestern city of Bordeaux -- packed with ceremony and pomp.
The king and his wife Queen Camilla were welcomed at Paris Orly airport by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, with the visit blessed by pristine autumn clear skies.
Driven down the Champs-Elysees, Macron and the king were seen chatting amicably while Camilla and Macron's wife Brigitte followed behind in a similar vehicle.
The Macrons will then in the evening host the royal couple at a sumptuous state banquet at Versailles, the palace west of the capital synonymous with French royalty.
The menu will include delicacies including blue lobster cooked as a starter by star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, who has said she was inspired by the tastes of the so called "Sun King" Louis XIV.
Many of the engagements on the trip reflect Charles' lifelong interest in the environment, sustainability and biodiversity, as well as promoting young entrepreneurs and community.
"This is King Charles, who was only just over a year ago still Prince Charles, putting himself on the international stage as a leading public figure," said Ed Owens, a royal historian and author.
"We know that he's going to address things including his concerns around climate and environment, so he's playing to the crowd in that respect, but doing so on his own terms," he said.
Charles' visit is seen as the follow-up to moves by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reset relations between the two neighbours following tensions sparked by the UK's exit from the EU.
Macron had a particularly prickly relationship with Sunak's predecessor-but-one Boris Johnson. — AFP
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