<![CDATA[Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have
arrived in France for the start of their three-day state visit,
which also takes in the D-Day anniversary.
The first engagement of today didn't begin in France though, before
boarding the Eurostar at St Pancras International, the Queen
unveiled a plaque marking the 20th anniversary of the Channel
Tunnel linking Britain with continental Europe. More than 330
million passengers and 65 million vehicles have gone through the
tunnel since it opened in 1994 and the high-speed London-Paris rail
link has made commuting between the two capitals commonplace.
HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh are travelling on
Eurostar today for a State Visit to France pic.twitter.com/HFWnEWwaqG
— Eurostar UK (@EurostarUK) June 5, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The Monarch and her Husband stepped off the regular Eurostar train
from London to an enthusiastic welcome from around 300 well wishers
at the French capital’s Gare du Nord. Her Majesty and the Duke were
greeted by Britain’s ambassador to France Sir Peter Ricketts who
said ahead of the visit, “The people of France know that the Queen
likes being in France, she speaks French very well and I feel there
is a huge affection in France for the Queen and the Royal Family
and I think you will feel that during this state visit”.
Among the well wishers who were there to greet Her Majesty was
Margaret Kittle, a Canadian whose late Husband fought in the Royal
Air Force during the Second World War, “Its great she is here, she
the only one of the leaders who will be on the beaches tomorrow to
have known the war at first hand, I’ve seen the Queen several times
before, and her Mother and Father during their pre-war Canada tour,
but today is really special,” Kittle commented.
After Her Majesty and the Duke’s arrival, they were due to lay a
wreath at France’s national war monument, the Arc de Triomphe,
before attending a garden party at which Her Majesty is to bestow
honours upon several British and French nationals.
The Queen and the President lay a single wreath together at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier #QueeninFrance pic.twitter.com/hka7KGMECu —
BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) June 5, 2014
After the commemorative events of Friday, Saturday will see the
Queen return to Paris to tour the city’s best
known flower market which is being renamed in honour of the
Queen. Housed in iron pavilions the market opens seven days a
week and even sells birds on a Sunday. The trip to the market was a
personal choice of Her Majesty’s, after visiting it during an
official visit way back in 1948.
Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh have scaled back their
overseas visits in recent years. Their last foreign trip this past
April, was a one day visit to Rome to meet with Italian President
Giorgio Napolitano and Pope Francis. The Monarch’s last state visit
was in May 2011 to the Republic of Ireland, a ground breaking trip
which signalled a new era in Anglo-Irish relations.
From Paris, the Queen and Duke will
travel to Normandy to for the 70th anniversary of the Normandy
Landings on Friday where they both will meet veterans and take part
in an event at the site of the invasion by allied forces on 6th
June 1944.
This state visit also promises to be just as special, Queen
Elizabeth II is from the wartime generation and so France’s
invitation for her attendance at the D-Day commemorations make her
the most honoured of all the heads of state who will be at Normandy
on Friday.
photo credit: jemasmith via photopin cc]]>
