King Charles III, with strong environmental convictions, proposed Thursday before the French Senate that France and the United Kingdom commit to an “Agreement for Sustainability” in order to respond “more effectively” to the “global emergency in climate and biodiversity.
Inspired by the Entente Cordiale, a text signed in 1904 by the two countries to iron out their very strong differences at the time, the monarch justified this initiative in the name of “the example of the past” in order to “raise the immense challenges of the world around us.
Strengthen the relationship between the two countries
King Charles III pledged on Thursday to “do everything in (his) power to strengthen the essential relationship between the United Kingdom and France”.
“The United Kingdom will always be one of France’s closest allies” and “together, our potential is unlimited,” he insisted, speaking in French.
“Together, we are unwavering in our determination that Ukraine will triumph and that our cherished freedoms will prevail,” the king declared in French, denouncing the “unjustified aggression on our Continent” of Ukraine by Russia.
An ovation from the Senate
The French parliamentarians then gave him a long standing ovation after his speech. Standing, the parliamentarians applauded the king for more than a minute and a half. “Applause that would make us dream,” commented the President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher.