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A weary King Charles will now ‘rehabilitate’ in Balmoral after his mother’s funeral before resuming his duties – with France reportedly his first overseas trip.
The new monarch, who has entered a seven-day period of royal mourning, is said to have chosen the country as a surprise first destination after ties to Emmanuel Macron over environmental issues.
Rather than visit one of his Commonwealth realms on his first foreign trip, Charles is increasingly expected to head to Paris next month for a tour that could also include Germany.
The Foreign Office, which makes the final decision on royal visits, would like to use the monarchy’s diplomatic powers to restore relations with major European neighbors after Brexit.
King Charles III is said to have bonded with President Macron because of their shared interest in the environment (they can be seen at a meeting of world leaders on Sunday)
The King and Queen Consort arrived in Scotland yesterday for a short break to mourn the loss of the late Queen.
But sources close to the monarch said he has been “strengthened” by the outpouring of public support in recent days, and his staff are now busy behind the scenes getting the Grandfather of the Nation project into full swing.
Sources close to the king say he is still grieving and feeling tired after a tiring two weeks filled with official appointments.
“Balmoral is a place where the king can see his family and read his red government boxes at the same time,” said a source. The sun.
“It’s a place where he can recuperate and get on with the affairs of the state. This is exactly what the Queen Consort said Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II loved to do when she paid her tribute.”
In addition to creating a useful opportunity to forge ties with a leading European power, a trip to France could also help draw attention to a major African tree-planting plan supported by both Charles and Mr Macron, reported. The Telegraph.
While the King is unable to express his views on political issues, Mr Macron could host an exhibition on the Great Green Wall project before the visit.
The ambitious initiative aims to plant a 30-mile-wide belt of trees across the entire African continent to slow the spread of the Sahara and combat climate change.
King Charles and Macron were said to share a ‘warm friendship’, and last year they shared a platform at Cop26 in Glasgow to encourage what the royal family called a ‘precious opportunity’ to help save the planet.
The French president was widely acclaimed for his touching tribute to the Queen in English, praising her “wisdom and empathy” and adding: “To you she was your queen. To us she was the queen’.
He also confirmed that he had invited the king on a state visit to France, saying: “I have had the opportunity to invite King Charles to come to France when it is convenient for him.”
Sources close to the king say he is still grieving and feeling tired after an exhausting two weeks filled with official appointments
Each trip to France would be followed by a distant journey to a Commonwealth realm, it has been previously reported – with the king having to make up for lost time after Queen Elizabeth II was unable to travel for seven years due to health problems.
A visit to Germany after France would make sense given its status as a major European power. It was one of the last countries the late Queen and Prince Philip visited. They dated David Cameron, who was then Prime Minister at the time, in June 2015.
While there are no plans for overseas travel, Charles is expected to head to Australia and New Zealand early next year. He went to Canada in May but hasn’t gone to Australia since 2018.
Yesterday, the King, 73, and Camilla, 75, left Windsor Castle, where they were staying overnight after an emotional private funeral, on Monday, and raided RAF Northolt in north-west London at 10:30 am.
His police foremen took off their helmets and bowed as he boarded his wife with his wife, as the plane arrived in Aberdeen at noon. Although the ten days of national mourning are now over, the royal family continues to observe their own extended mourning period until next Monday night.
All their public appearances have been canceled and the flags of royal residences will remain at half-mast until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
A source said Balmoral (pictured): ‘Is a place where the king can see his family and read his red government boxes at the same time’
In any case, the King and Camilla will spend the next week – and possibly even beyond – at Birkhall, the Queen Mother’s old home on Royal Deeside, whose estate is next to Balmoral.
It was part of a long-standing plan known as Operation Spring Tide. He will, of course, continue to deal with necessary state affairs for the next few days, but out of the public eye.
Behind the scenes, however, a lot of work is being done on a still very ‘committed, dynamic and enthusiastic’ Charles to pick up his relentless work schedule once his mourning period is over.
He is expected to continue to support the many charities he has raised millions over the past few years, but in a different way.
“He is incredibly aware of the added focus it is to be the king and that things can’t go on as they were before,” said a source.
His private office is already tearing up many of its plans, with a visit to flood-stricken Pakistan next month as one of its first appointments.
But the staff is also figuring out how to match other existing commitments to the burden of their new duties.
It’s something no one felt like doing while the late Queen was still alive and Operation London Bridge, the Queen’s funeral plans and Operation Spring Tide were still in full swing.
A source said: ‘The king is phenomenally thoughtful and passionate. The things he deeply cares about are still relevant, they have not become irrelevant because he is king. The difference is that he will no longer be an interventionist.
“He hopes he can support, encourage and convene instead.
‘Staff will look closely at how to get the balance right.’
Mr Macron and his wife, Brigette, arrive at the Buckingham Palace meeting on Sunday
Charles is understood to have been “touched and encouraged” by the public response in recent days, especially given some of the challenges he has faced over the years.
“Anyone who has worked with him knows that rest and relaxation are not on his list of priorities,” said a former senior royal aide.
“It will take all the trickery from his team and the Queen Consort to convince him that he doesn’t have to take on everything at once.”
While the king will base himself on Buckingham Palace, sources said no one should expect to ‘see the moving vans for Clarence House right now’.
The court is still in mourning and Clarence House, where Charles and Camilla have lived for years, is where they feel most comfortable in London.
But in the long run, he has made it clear that Buckingham Palace will be their permanent residence.
The news of his possible trip to France comes after the new prime minister held conciliatory talks with Macron yesterday, having previously questioned whether he was a “friend or foe”.
Liz Truss avoided difficult issues such as the canal migrant crisis and the Northern Ireland Protocol as she tried to smooth out relations with the French president.
Downing Street said the two leaders had a half-hour “constructive” meeting in New York, where they both attend the UN General Assembly.
Talks are said to have focused on energy security and the need for a united response to Ukraine.
The news of his possible trip to France comes as Liz Truss held conciliatory talks with Macron yesterday, after previously questioning whether he was a ‘friend or foe’
Ahead of the meeting, a Whitehall source acknowledged that the prime minister may have to bury the hatchet with the French president after jokingly questioning whether he was a “friend or foe” during the Tory leadership match.
The source said: ‘Obviously he didn’t like that comment, but he’s a politician – he understands things are said in the heat of a campaign. In the end we have a very strong relationship with France – it will be fine.’
After his speech, Mr Macron seemed happy to put the matter in the past, saying: ‘I now believe in evidence, in results.
“There is a will to rejoin, move on and show that we are allies and friends in a complex world.”
Miss Truss’s spokesperson confirmed that they have not discussed the post-Brexit agreement on Northern Ireland or the crossing of migrants, which have not declined.
He said the government intended to resolve protocol issues with the EU, adding: “This is not a problem that we believe can be solved by a single EU country.”