Singers, fashion designers, politicians and actors, including Hugh Grant, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Mick Jagger, attended a dinner in honor of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Palace of Versailles at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte.
Among the 150-180 invited guests were: Prime Minister France Elisabeth Borne, British actor Hugh Grant, French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand, Welsh writer Ken Follett, Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger, actor Guillaume Gallienne and violinist Renaud Capucon.
Among the 150-180 invited guests were: Prime Minister British actor Hugh GrantCHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/PAP/EPA
The world of sports was represented by tennis player Amelie Mauresmo, winner of the Wimbledon tournament in 2006, and Arsene Wenger, manager of London Arsenal for 22 years, footballers Patrick Vieira and Didier Drogba, and Tony Estanguet, chairman of the organizing committee of the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, Marie- Amelie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, and the French Rugby Federation.
The heads of the Chanel and Dior fashion houses and the richest Frenchman, the head of the LVMH concern, Bernard Arnault, were also invited.
A sumptuous dinner at Versailles
The gala dinner at Versailles is one of the highlights of the British king’s visit to France. In 1957, the king’s mother, Elizabeth II, was also received in the same lavish setting. “The king is sensitive to the idea of ​​following in his mother’s footsteps,” the Élysée Palace emphasized.
A gala dinner was held in Versailles in honor of King Charles IIICHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/PAP/EPA
Guests tasted a refined menu served on Sevres porcelain on a 62-meter-long table. The menu prepared by the best chefs included: blue lobster, crabs with a veil of fresh almonds and mint, Bresse poultry with corn and porcini mushroom casserole, cheese from Maison Antony, as well as thirty-month-old Comte cheese, goat cheeses and British Stichelton. For dessert – Ispahan rose macarons with lichi sorbet.
The daily “Le Figaro” reported that French wines and champagnes were served in Baccarat crystal glasses, including: Pol Roger cuvee Winston Churchill champagne 2013, Batard Montrachet grand cru 2018 from the estate of Olivier Leflaive and Chateau Mouton Rothschild vintage 2004, whose bottle label is decorated with a watercolor created by King Charles himself when he was still a prince Wales.
Main photo source: CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/PAP/EPA