Queen Elizabeth’s last State Visit to France

As the King and Queen are getting ready to depart for their double European State visits to France and Germany, they will undoubtedly have in mind that the two countries were the last two state visits that Queen Elizabeth II made, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh. 

Germany also ended up being the late monarch’s last State Visit, but the 2014 trip to France still holds a special significance to this day. 

Her Majesty arrived at Paris’ Gare du Nord on board one of the Eurostar high-speed trains that make daily trips between the British and French capitals. 

The first day was full of the traditional events that characterise any State Visit, including the State Banquet at Elysée Palace, during which the Queen gave a practical demonstration of her French skills. 

Curiously, one major difference will be between this upcoming State Visit and the last one: the flags. When Queen Elizabeth was in France last, the United Kingdom was still a member of the European Union, and, as such, the EU flag took the centre spot. 

This time, however, we will see the EU flag displayed next to the French one, rather than between the French and UK, as the Brits are no longer part of the union, having left officially in January 2020. 

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s State Visit also came at a particularly poignant time, as the world commemorated the 70th anniversary of D-Day landings in northern France. 

At the time, the Queen was the only living head of state to have witnessed and taken part in World War II in her role as a mechanic for the Territorial Defence Force. Prince Philip also fought in WWII as a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla will instead focus their attention on international cooperation and sustainability, the latter a topic that was also very close to the Duke of Edinburgh’s heart. 

State visits are the highest form of diplomacy, and precedent matters a lot, so King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the Presidents of both France and Germany, will undoubtedly keep the previous state visits in mind while putting the final touches on the upcoming ones.