King Charles’s state visit to France is hailed as a success for Anglo-French relations – but the relationships between British embassy staff and the Élysée team prove difficult
King Charles’ state visit to France is hailed as a success for Anglo-French relations, but relations between British embassy staff and the Élysée team prove difficult
King Charles’ state visit to France last week was hailed as a success for Anglo-French relations.
Images showed President Emmanuel Macron had a genuine bond with the king, which some even labeled a ‘bromance’, while his wife Brigitte got along well with Queen Camilla.
But The Mail on Sunday can reveal that behind-the-scenes relations between British embassy staff and the Élysée team were not so cordial – with one staffer describing the French as ‘difficult’.
The visit was led by Buckingham Palace officials and a team from the Foreign Office, along with French officials and security forces.
It fell on an “extremely difficult week” for French police, said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who also had to deal with the Rugby World Cup and a visit to Marseille by the Pope.
King Charles’ state visit to France is considered a success for Anglo-French relations, with some saying President Emmanuel Macron enjoyed a genuine bond with the monarch.
Queen Camilla is also said to get on well with Macron’s wife Brigitte, but The Mail on Sunday can reveal that behind-the-scenes relations between British embassy staff and the Élysée team have not been so cordial
Leaks in the French press made matters worse. The king and queen had to fly to Bordeaux instead of taking the train after their plans were published by local media.
The MoS understands that Buckingham Palace felt fully supported by Macron’s team. But at times the rigorous schedule and security pressures caused tensions on the ground to boil over.
At Notre Dame, a row broke out when the gendarmerie did not allow embassy staff to escort British media to a vantage point in the cathedral, and at the Palace of Versailles, chaotic scenes unfolded as a recital by the Orchestra of the Palace of Versailles at the Royal Chapel. had been cancelled.
An embassy official later suggested that the French had “mistranslated” the trip to the chapel.
Tensions rose further on the second day of the tour when an apocalyptic downpour changed plans at the last minute to visit the Rugby World Cup village outside Paris.
‘This is actually terrible. Rain ruined that visit,” an official said.
An embassy source complained that preparations for the visit were thwarted because many French officials had gone on holiday weeks earlier in August, making it “impossible to get anything done.”
A British official said: ‘They’re quite difficult to deal with, the Elysée people.’
Another agreed: ‘Paris was chaotic. The French knew everything in advance and did not want to give us any information for security reasons.’
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Behind the scenes: All seemed well at the Palace of Versailles during the state dinner, but aides are said to have been left frustrated when a recital by the Palace of Versailles Orchestra in the Royal Chapel was canceled