A thwarted state visit project is well worth some lavish catch-up. The mission was tough: to dispel the very embarrassing memory of the cancellation, six months earlier, of the very first visit of the sovereign Charles III. “We really made fools of ourselves!”, still rages a distinguished guest today. But, it must be said, at the end of this summer of 2023, the Elysée has slipped the small dishes into the big ones.
At the Palace of Versailles, a long table of 62 meters is set in the dazzling Hall of Mirrors. A reference, according to the official communication, to the first state visit of Elizabeth II as monarch in 1957 – between tradition and modernity, she had to be content with a lunch, due to the lack of electricity in this historic place. “The President of the Republic is reviving the Gaullist idea of using the places where the history of France was made”, explains historian Fabien Oppermann. It is Wednesday, September 20, 2023 and, under the vaults painted by Charles Le Brun, more than 160 prestigious guests – half French and the other half British – are arriving in dribs and drabs. Tuxedos are required for the men, evening dresses for the women.
Spouses of ministers are not invited
In the upper echelons of the State, however, very few have had the chance to receive their invitation card. In the chartered buses taking the guests to the castle, only a few parliamentarians. On the government side, Elisabeth Borne, Gérald Darmanin, Laurence Boone, Rima Abdul Malak and Sébastien Lecornu took part in the feast. Spouses are not invited? Bruno Le Maire does not appreciate it, they whisper in the government, so he will skip the event. Alexis Kohler comes with his wife; after all, he is not a minister. An angry phone call from another eminent minister at the Elysée demanding to be entitled to the same privilege. Where does the power lie…
And these invitations: a portfolio story? The prince’s doing? A member of the government – who did not receive the precious card – tries to explain. “Foreign Affairs, protocol and the portfolios direct the maneuver. It is rare that the president validates a list of guests line by line. On the other hand, certain ministers can claim to be there directly with him, and he can give in.” That’s enough to show off a little, at the council of ministers preceding the banquet…
And what about politics? Versailles is no longer the capital of the kingdom, but unlike François de Mazières, mayor (various right), the socialist mayor of the City of Light was not invited. “With Chirac or Sarkozy, protocol was respected and the mayor of Paris was invited to state dinners,” Anne Hidalgo grumbles to her people.
Gérard Larcher chats with Mick Jagger
For the lucky ones, you will have to wait a good hour before seeing the Windsor and Macron couple. Together, they attended a small concert in the royal chapel, a Bach Chaconne delicately interpreted by the young Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich. In the Hall of Mirrors, and its lighting in the style of Barry Lyndon, according to a present, time for the welcome cocktail. And for these few unexpected encounters. Here, the President of the Senate Gérard Larcher conversing with the Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger. There, this former minister waiting for the latter to be free for a selfiehesitating to do the same with the “charming” Hugh Grant, before abandoning the idea – “It was a bit too much of a schoolgirl…”
“Despite the majesty of the place, there was a rather good-natured side to it,” confided a member of the government. As time passed, people began to struggle to find their place, somewhere in the two rows of 86 seats. “What interested us was to see the Beast!” confided a parliamentarian. Not the blue lobster or the marinated Bresse poultry, meticulously concocted by the greatest French chefs, but the sovereign Charles III.
Around 9:30 p.m., here he is, accompanied by Camilla, Queen Consort, and the presidential couple. The table is too long, some will never see him again. So, during dinner, the surprising encounters continue. No question of talking about poloche! To the left of a minister, the most British of French coaches, Arsène Wenger, explains his coaching experience to her. On the other side of the table, a parliamentarian tries to cheer up – with some success – his neighbors, a French industrialist, an NGO president and the British ambassador. “A moment out of political time”, describes a minister. The price of concord: 474,851 euros, according to the Court of Auditors.
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