There are evenings of pre-estimate torpor where, under the gold of the village hall of the Elysée, the Republic begins to dream of the charms of the monarchy.In long white dress set with sparkling diamonds, crowned with a tiara of Queen Mary, Elizabeth II made her solemn entry alongside François Hollande, followed by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.The 240 tuxedo guests and long dresses were in a hurry, the English in deep reverences, the French imperceptibly tilting their heads.
Back from the commemorations of Normandy, the two heads of state had just landed in Paris.After the memory of the Second World War, the time was for the celebration of the cordial agreement.And to friendship, almost fusional, far from the usual bibes between the governments of Paris and London.In a speech alternating English and French, the queen reminds her first stay in 1948 in our "beautiful country", then just married princess.She insists on her "great affection for the French people" and underlines the "unique mixture of friendship, rivalry in good humor as well as the admiration which constitutes the essence of the links which unite Great Britain and France".For François Hollande, the two countries embody the mystery of twins "fascinated by their similarities, fiercely attached to their difference, but viscerally united when the essential is in question".
After the toast, the sovereign sits between Manuel Vals and François Hollande, who welcomes Prince Philip to his left.The academician Hélène Carrère d'Encausse makes him the.The conversation is driving in French.The Queen evokes her concern about Scotland, who must decide by referendum in September on her maintenance in the United Kingdom.
On the menu, foie gras - to meet the desire of His Majesty -, lamb of Sisteron, cheeses and summer dessert.Château d'Yquem 97, Château Haut Brion 90, vintage champagne "Cuvée Winston Churchill".At his table, Bernard Kouchner has the solution to French gloom: we would need a king.The Républicaine Garde ropes orchestra plays Yellow Submarine des Beatles.It sets the tone.Michel Rocard, who has just written a forum to advise the English to leave Europe and leave us alone, places himself on the passage of the Queen, who continues her way.
The British adage of the Second World War "Keep Calm and Carry on" ("stay calm and persevere") leaves Hollande thinking."I dare not make it my motto," he jokes.
At the cafe, on the porch of the garden, when his guests of honor leave aboard their Bentley to the neighboring embassy, the president is on a cloud."I have never seen so many people on the Champs-Elysées, even the July 14, or at the Balcons du Faubourg Saint-Honoré!"
The establishment of the fifth republic savor the evening sweetness.We meet Claude Bartolone, Aurélie Filippetti, Laurent Fabius, Elisabeth Guigou, Michel Barnier, Jean-Marc Ayrault, Michèle Alliot-Marie, Xavier Darcos or Edith Cresson (the English have forgotten what she had said of them).The bosses Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Axel Dumas d'Hermès, Jean-Paul Agon de l'Oréal, Henri Proglio (EDF), Jean-Bernard Lévy (Thalès), Arnaud de Puyfontaine (Vivendi), Guillaume Pépy (SNCF) remindtheir drivers.Line Renaud, Guillaume Galienne, Agnès B, represent the arts.Arsène Wenger is a lesson in success in Great Britain in the face of adversity.
After an interview with Anne Hidalgo at the Paris City Hall and the visit to the Flowers Market of the Ile de la Cité which will be renamed in its name, the queen was to go back to Great Britain on Saturday morning, afterThree days of a very acclaimed state visit.