King Charles to carry out postponed visit to Bordeaux

King Charles III’s postponed trip to Bordeaux, initially scheduled for March 2023, is taking place this week. His son William was also in Bordeaux last weekend for the Rugby World Cup, watching Wales vs Fiji at the Matmut Arena in his capacity as Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The original Royal visit was called off following widespread protests sparked by Macron’s pension law reforms, some of which were focused around Bordeaux town hall, where a reception for the royal couple was due to take place. It will now take place on Friday September 22, and will be Charles’ first visit to Bordeaux as King.

He was last here in May 1977, received by then-deputy mayor Jacques Chaban Delmas for an official reception at the town hall and the opening of an exhibition about English painting entitled ‘From Gainsborough to Bacon’. Reportedly he also received 12 magnums of Bordeaux wine from 1948, the year of his birth, as well as visiting Château Latour, the Pauillac First Growth that was at the time under English ownership of the Pearson Group.

This week Charles and Camilla will be received by Bordeaux mayor Pierre Hurmic again at the town hall, and will also be visiting Château Smith Haut Lafitte, the biodynamic estate in Pessac-Léognan owned by Florence and Daniel Cathiard. He will meet the Cathiards, together with their two daughters and sons-in-law, who each run different parts of the family businesses.

Although no longer the first official state visit since becoming British monarch, the organisation of the trip remains unchanged, with the royal couple first heading to Paris on Wednesday September 20 where they will attend a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles given by President Emmanuel Macron, and visit venues and local community initiatives connected to next year’s Olympic Games that are to be held in Paris.

During their two days in Paris, King Charles will also become the first British Royal to address the French Senate, with a speech that is likely to take place in both French and English, and will be centred around climate change, environmental concerns and joint initiatives in a continuation of a meeting between Macron and Charles at the Cop26 environmental conference in Glasgow held in 2021. Camilla will separately join Brigitte Macron to launch a new Franco-British literary prize at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

The focus on environmental issues will continue in Bordeaux. The choice of the château was taken in consideration of the Cathiard’s longstanding commitment to organic winemaking, including Florence Cathiard’s speech that she gave back in December 2015 at UN Climate Summit COP21 in Paris. During a Climate Neutral Now roundtable event, she spoke about the estate’s work in, for example, capturing and reprocessing CO2 emitted during the fermentation process, and the building of an energy-neutral stealth cellar. The property has also been named an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant for its work safeguarding traditional winemaking practices, and it is expected that the royal couple will watch a barrel making session by the estate’s onsite cooper Yann.

More than 200 French and British police officers are expected to be present for protection, along with the Royal security services, with the exact details withheld until after the event, in line with protocol.

Daniel and Florence’s granddaughter is also hoping to present flowers to the royal couple. ‘Of course seasonal and local,’ says Florence Cathiard. ‘We are not yet sure if they will be having tea or a wine tasting, but we are ready for everything – and we are hopeful, as we know the Queen’s grandfather and father were involved in the wine world’.

‘The state visit will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France, marking our shared histories, culture and values,’ said Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to the king.