King Charles III’s visit to France aims to celebrate the long-standing Franco-British friendship that has been weakened by several disagreements in recent years.
Relations between the United Kingdom and France have been strained by tensions over Brexit and the migration crisis caused by tens of thousands of people crossing the French Channel to British shores.
A state visit by the King and Queen Camilla, with trips to Paris and Bordeaux planned for September 20 to 22, marks the Franco-British rapprochement that began with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Scheduled for March, the state visit will “celebrate the relationship between the United Kingdom and France, highlighting our history, culture and common values,” according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
“It will be an opportunity to look to the future and show the many ways the UK and France can work together,” Chris Fitzgerald, the King’s private secretary, told reporters.
A British Foreign Office official explained that relations between the countries have “continued to improve” since a bilateral summit between the British prime minister and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in March.
This contrasts with the tensions between Rishi Sunak’s predecessors, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
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