King Charles III postpones visit to France amid pension protests
Written by worldOneFm on March 24, 2023
King Charles III has postponed his state visit to France amid the ongoing strikes and demonstrations in the country.
The British monarch and his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, were scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday and visit Paris and Bordeaux before travelling to Germany on Wednesday.
However, following a phone call between the King and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday morning, both parties agreed to delay the visit, which would have been His Majesty’s first state visit since becoming King in September.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said, “The King and The Queen Consort’s state visit to France has been postponed. Their Majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found.”
Macron explained at an EU Summit in Brussels that he called the royal after unions announced another day of strikes and protests for Tuesday, two days into the state visit.
“As we have considerable friendship, respect and esteem for His Majesty and the Queen Consort and the British people, I took the initiative this morning to call (the King) and explain the situation… Common sense and friendship pushed us to propose a postponement,” he said, reports BBC News.
The King and Queen Consort will begin their state visit in Berlin on Wednesday.
The strikes and protests are against the French government’s pension reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.
