00:00 King Charles III is here in Paris.
00:02 We understand a star-studded royal dinner
00:04 at the Palace of Versailles is in its final stages.
00:08 And it comes after a day full of engagements
00:09 around the French capital
00:10 in the company of President Emmanuel Macron.
00:13 The later wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
00:15 at the Arc de Triomphe,
00:17 followed by a procession along the Champs-Elysées.
00:19 There's also a visit to Notre Dame, Versailles, of course,
00:23 and to the Bordeaux vineyards on the royal schedule.
00:25 The visit is seen as underlining a close bond
00:28 that exists between Britain and France,
00:29 in spite of issues raised by Brexit.
00:33 Well, Lucy Carter is a lecturer in British history
00:38 at the Université Paris Cité.
00:39 She joins us now live.
00:41 Lucy, thanks for being with us.
00:42 King Charles in Paris.
00:44 Tell us what you think this signifies.
00:46 - Hi, good evening, Mark.
00:48 It's actually Laura.
00:49 - Laura, excuse me, excuse me.
00:51 Laura, excuse me.
00:52 - Yeah, so no, thanks for having me.
00:54 I think, as you outlined in your introduction,
00:56 this is very much a soft power moment,
01:00 a moment to kind of underline
01:02 that we're moving into this post-Brexit era.
01:05 Obviously, there's been a new prime minister
01:07 more recently in the UK, with Rishi Sunak.
01:10 And I think for Franco-British relations,
01:12 the kind of end of the Liz Truss, Boris Johnson era
01:15 is probably a good one.
01:17 So I think this visit really is all about culture.
01:19 If we look at the programme,
01:21 I think it's really significant
01:22 that they started off with that,
01:25 with laying that wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
01:28 under the Arc de Triomphe.
01:29 Of course, there's a parallel tomb
01:32 of an unknown soldier in Westminster Abbey in London.
01:34 And that's one of the kind of historic,
01:36 shared Franco-British symbols.
01:38 So, so far, so good, I think.
01:41 A very kind of friendly cultural visit
01:43 ending with this extremely glamorous-looking banquet
01:46 in Versailles tonight.
01:47 - Indeed, the banquet's one thing.
01:48 The tribute to the unknown soldier,
01:50 of course, something that resonates with many families
01:51 across both countries, as you point out.
01:55 Emmanuel Macron has said that Charles III's visit
01:57 is about, it's a tribute to the past
01:59 and a guarantee of our future.
02:01 And then he went on to talk about meeting the challenges
02:05 despite Brexit.
02:06 That was the translation I saw.
02:08 Do you see that as obviously a very important thing here?
02:10 This is going some way to mending
02:13 some of those problems that exist.
02:14 Well, at least put a sticking plaster on it.
02:17 - Yeah, perhaps.
02:18 I mean, I think so many of the issues around Brexit
02:21 have come down to very fraught policies.
02:24 The issue of boats in the Channel,
02:28 the issue of immigration.
02:29 And this is all about the bigger picture, I think.
02:33 And so a post-Brexit era for France and Britain
02:36 can look forward to kind of more positive
02:38 bilateral relations.
02:40 I know that Brigitte and Camilla are gonna be launching
02:42 a Franco-British literary prize.
02:44 So perhaps that future also looks like
02:47 more specific initiatives between France and Britain
02:50 instead of Britain and the EU as it was.
02:52 - You anticipated my next question, Laura.
02:54 It was about Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla.
02:57 What do you see happening there?
02:58 Obviously, clearly you've mentioned the prize,
03:00 but the two women on the face of things
03:02 seem to get on extremely well.
03:04 - Yeah, I guess they're not so far apart
03:06 in age and generation.
03:08 So they probably have common reference points there.
03:11 I think it's always hard to say with these events.
03:14 I mean, these people are kind of in a way at work.
03:16 So they're putting their best foot forward.
03:20 But yeah, they're playing a role in supporting
03:22 their partners as state leaders.
03:24 And they have an important role to play.
03:26 I think the few people around Paris I've spoken to today
03:30 are just as interested in Camilla
03:33 as they are in King Charles III.
03:35 I think it's also significant that of course,
03:38 King Charles' first wife, Diana,
03:40 lost her life in Paris all those years ago.
03:42 So Camilla's really stepping into a role in a city
03:46 where her kind of predecessor is very well known
03:50 and sometimes associated with Paris as well.
03:52 - Indeed, that imagery of course is very vivid indeed.
03:56 The whole issue regarding the King coming to the Republic
04:01 raises other questions too.
04:03 And I don't know whether you've noticed this,
04:04 but I've certainly noticed that many French people,
04:06 Republicans, seem to have a fascination
04:08 for the British royal family.
04:10 Can you read anything into that
04:11 or give us a take on that?
04:14 - I mean, lots of people have opinions on this.
04:16 The French perhaps don't want a monarchy,
04:20 but they like to have the kind of glitz and glamour
04:23 occasionally of having a royal visit.
04:25 I think that's probably true of a lot of Republican
04:27 countries that welcome royal families.
04:30 Let's not forget that this visit was postponed.
04:33 It was supposed to take place in March.
04:34 And one of Macron's reasons were the critiques
04:38 around him hosting a lavish event
04:42 and he might look like a King at Versailles
04:44 at a time when there was so much unrest
04:46 around the pension reforms and the cost of living crisis.
04:49 So I certainly don't think he wants to see himself
04:52 in the kind of royal glow,
04:54 but I do think the public enjoy that glow
04:56 from time to time in France.
04:58 - Laura Carter, lecturer in British history
05:00 at the Paris City University.
05:01 Thank you very much indeed for sharing your analysis
05:04 and your insight with us here in France 24.
05:06 I apologize about my glitch at the beginning
05:08 of introducing you there,
05:09 but you're quite right to point out the error.
05:11 and I'm more than happy to correct it.
05:13 So Laura Carter there joining us.
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