This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/17/prince-william-visits-paris-for-the-first-time-since-mother-dianas-death

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Prince William in Paris on first official visit since mother Diana's death Prince William in Paris on first official visit since mother Diana's death
(about 2 hours later)
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were welcomed on the steps of the Elysée palace by the French president, François Hollande, at the start of their two-day visit to Paris. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived for a whirlwind tour of Paris on Friday, the first official visit the royal couple has made to the French capital. It is also the first time Prince William has been in the city on an official engagement since his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash almost 20 years ago.
The royal couple arrived in French capital by private plane, before being driven to the Elysée on their first official visit to the city. William and Catherine flew to the city in a private jet from London and were immediately driven to the Elysée Palace for a meeting with French president François Hollande.
It is the first time Prince William has been in the city on an official engagement since his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash almost 20 years ago – and is the first in a series of European visits the Cambridges and the Prince of Wales will make in the coming months. The visits are seen by some commentators as a bid to enhance Britain’s relationships with the mainland Europe as Brexit negotiations loom. They were greeted on the steps of the palace by Hollande, who was flanked by two members of the Garde Republicaine. After posing for photographers, Hollande led them into the president’s residence.
The Elysée said it was natural for the royal couple to be received by the president on their arrival in France “given the historic relationship between France and the United Kingdom”. The duchess was wearing the same green Catherine Walker coat she had worn at an earlier engagement in the UK, but had let her hair down.
The duke and duchess will stay at the Hôtel de Charost, an 18th-century mansion on the chic Rue Faubourg St Honoré, which has been the residence of the British ambassador to France 1814 and is a stone’s throw from the Elysée palace. It was built in 1720 for one of Louis XV’s senior courtier’s and designed by the king’s architect. It was bought by Napoléon Bonaparte’s sister Pauline in 1803 then sold to the Duke of Wellington, who paid in instalments of gold, that Bonaparte used to finance his return before the Battle of Waterloo. Before they left, the president took them outside into the gardens of the palace for a second photocall, walking them down a sun-bathed terrace in front of the waiting cameras, stopping to chat occasionally as he pointed to items of interest.
After visiting the Elysée, the Cambridges are due to attend a glittering dinner hosted by the British ambassador Lord Edward Llewellyn with British and French guests, including actress Kristin Scott-Thomas, and French stars Jean Reno and Audrey Tautou. The trip is part of a campaign of “soft” diplomacy aimed at forging links on the continent as Britain starts delicate and complicated Brexit negotiations.
The event will mark the launch of Les Voisins (neighbours) a celebration of Anglo-French ties and the royal couple will meet French leaders from a range of different fields, from arts, fashion and business. Although there were no Union flags or red carpets – the French tricolour and the European Union flag were flying outside the Elysée, an aide said of the meeting: “They are very grateful that the president has invited them to the Elysée Palace for a meeting at the very start of their trip, which gives you an indication of the importance and status of the visit.”
On Saturday, they will visit Les Invalides and attend the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and France at the Stade de France. William will be attending in his new role as patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, having taken over the position from his grandmother, the Queen. The Cambridges were then driven 100 yards in a black Range Rover with the duke’s royal standard on its bonnet, for a reception at the British ambassador’s residence, where they met young entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, musicians and other selected guests. Here, William gave a speech to launch Les Voisins – The Neighbours – a year long celebration of Anglo-French links.
Buckingham Palace officials have insisted there are no plans for the couple to visit the scene of the crash, the Pont d’Alma, the highway where Diana died in August 1997, or make any official commemoration of the tragedy. The duchess, wearing a black Alexander McQueen cocktail dress, smiled as her husband began speaking in French then switched to English saying: “And forgive me if I now continue in the language of Shakespeare, so as to reduce the risk of mangling the language of Molière.”
The official visit, arranged at the request of the UK Foreign Office, is intended as a charm offensive ahead of Britain’s Brexit negotiations. The prime minister, Theresa May, is expected to trigger article 50 beginning Britain’s exit from the European Union at the end of this month. Speaking of historic, current and future links between the two countries, William made reference to Brexit.
William has privately visited the city on a few occasions since his mother’s death, including going with his brother, Harry, to watch England in the Rugby World Cup in 2007. “Like all neighbours, sometimes our two nations encourage each other through mutual support. Sometimes we attempt to outdo the other through rivalry – as we will see tomorrow when Wales play France at the rugby. But always our two nations continually inspire one another to become better: more creative, more prosperous, more innovative,” he told guests.
On this official visit, William and Kate also plan to meet some of those involved in the response to the 2015 terrorist attacks at the Bataclan theatre in Paris as well as the truck attack in Nice on Bastille Day last year. “This partnership will continue despite Britain’s recent decision to leave the European Union. The depth of our friendship and the breadth of our cooperation will not change.”
A Foreign Office spokesman said royal visits played a very important role in British diplomacy. The duke spoke to a group of athletes, including Colonel Bertrand Gebuhrer, the leader of the French Invictus team, who managed to get himself confused about whether it was William or Harry who launched the Paralympic games for wounded servicemen and women.
After he suggested that it was William’s idea, the duke replied: “As much as it pains me, I have to give my brother credit for that.”
The duchess met Elizabeth Kesses, a British Paris-based author of books about body issues in young girls.
“We talked about how important these issues are for young girls and she said I should send her my book.”
On Friday evening, the Cambridges attended a glittering dinner hosted by the British ambassador Lord Edward Llewellyn with British and French guests, including actress Kristin Scott-Thomas, and French stars Jean Reno and Audrey Tautou.
On the menu: sole crown and Dublin Bay prawns, crayfish, braised leg of Welsh lamb with a seasonal vegetable garnish and roast potatoes with thyme, and an iced white and dark chocolate soufflé, butterscotch sauce with a pistachio and almond diamond shortbread. Embassy staff said the lamb was not being served with mint sauce.
Saturday they will visit Les Invalides, the French military hospital where they will meet two survivors of the Paris terror attacks as well as former French servicemen, and visit the Impressionists gallery at the Musée d’Orsay, before attending the France versus Wales Six Nations rugby match.
Royals and Anglo-French diplomacyRoyals and Anglo-French diplomacy
William and Kate are not the first royals to head to France amid diplomatic difficulties. Queen Elizabeth II’s first state visit there, in April 1957, coincided with the Suez Crisis.William and Kate are not the first royals to head to France amid diplomatic difficulties. Queen Elizabeth II’s first state visit there, in April 1957, coincided with the Suez Crisis.
Although the two nations were united in the opposition to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and their aim to regain western control of the Suez Canal, France’s failure to to inform Britain about the involvement of Israel until very close to the commencement of military action in late 1956 strained relations. The Queen’s official visit to President Coty sought to both soothe and reinforce the UK’s relationship with France.Although the two nations were united in the opposition to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and their aim to regain western control of the Suez Canal, France’s failure to to inform Britain about the involvement of Israel until very close to the commencement of military action in late 1956 strained relations. The Queen’s official visit to President Coty sought to both soothe and reinforce the UK’s relationship with France.
The Queen’s second state visit in May 1972 was ironically an attempt by France rather than the United Kingdom to improve relations regarding UK’s entry into, rather than departure from, the European Economic Community. President Georges Pompidou’s new government was keen for friendlier dialogue with Britain, welcoming their membership of the EEC, which President De Gaulle had previously opposed. This would help to pave the way for Britain to do so the next year. Against a backdrop of gathering menace in Europe in the 1930’s, the Queen’s father George VI made similar attempts to bolster Anglo-French relations with an official trip to France in 1938, which aimed to strategically emphasise the values of the two “liberal democracies” in the face of the threat from Nazi Germany. Marianna SpringThe Queen’s second state visit in May 1972 was ironically an attempt by France rather than the United Kingdom to improve relations regarding UK’s entry into, rather than departure from, the European Economic Community. President Georges Pompidou’s new government was keen for friendlier dialogue with Britain, welcoming their membership of the EEC, which President De Gaulle had previously opposed. This would help to pave the way for Britain to do so the next year. Against a backdrop of gathering menace in Europe in the 1930’s, the Queen’s father George VI made similar attempts to bolster Anglo-French relations with an official trip to France in 1938, which aimed to strategically emphasise the values of the two “liberal democracies” in the face of the threat from Nazi Germany. Marianna Spring