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King Charles III and Queen Camilla were the guests of honor at a glittering state banquet held at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday. Their Majesties, who began their three-day state visit to France on Sept. 20, made a regal pair at the dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron.
The Queen stunned wearing a Dior Couture gown and cape by Maria Grazia Chiuri, which she paired with her late mother-in-law’s dazzling sapphire necklace and matching earrings. Per The Court Jeweller, the King George VI Sapphires were a wedding gift to King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth, from her father King George VI.
King Charles was also dressed to the nines for the black tie event, sporting a black suit and bow tie. Hugh Grant and Mick Jagger were among the guests at the state banquet. French actress Carole Bouquet, whose son Dimitri Rassam is married to Princess Caroline ’s daughter Charlotte Casiraghi , was also in attendance. Charlotte’s mother-in-law opted for a white blouse and black skirt with statement jewelry for the occasion.
King Charles recalled his late parents’ first official joint visit to France during his remarks at the state banquet, which he mostly delivered in French. His Majesty said (translated to English), “My parents’ first official visit together was to France in nineteen forty-eight, shortly after their wedding. By all accounts, they made quite a splash, dancing till the early hours at the glamourous Chez Carrere in the Rue Pierre Charron, serenaded by Edith Piaf. I suspect it may have left an indelible impression on me, even six months before I was born - La Vie en Rose is one of my favourite songs to this day!”
He continued, “And, of course, President Pompidou hosted my mother here at the Palace of Versailles on her second State Visit in nineteen seventy-two. I was reminded recently that when she returned the courtesy with dinner for the President and Madame Pompidou at the Hotel de Charost, they ran into a little more difficulty. Our Embassy tried to bring several cases of English wine over from Hampshire for the banquet, only to be prevented by a customs official at Orly. In those days, there was no such thing as ‘English wine’… As Roland Topor surmised, “les Français ont du vin, les Anglais de l’humour.”
The royal couple’s state visit to France was originally scheduled for March, but it was postponed amid pension reform protests in the country. At the banquet on Wednesday, the King said, “I cannot tell you how delighted my wife and I are to be with you this evening at the end of the first day of our first State Visit in France. If I may say so, it has been worth the wait!”