King’s visit to Bordeaux postponed by pension protests

King Charles III’s state tour of France, which was supposed to include a visit to Château Smith Haut Lafitte, has been delayed due to the protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.

The tour, initially due to take place early this week, would have been Charles’ first state visit as monarch. The plan was for Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, to travel to Paris and then Bordeaux, where they would visit Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru Classé Château Smith Haut Lafitte, due to its sustainability credentials, as well as the newly-opened British Consulate. After this, the royal couple would then head to Berlin.

However, the city has seen some of the most violent protests in recent days, with the entrance to the town hall set on fire on Thursday evening.

Bordeaux mayor Pierre Hurmic said that he had “difficulty understanding the interest of such acts of vandalism”, and, before the postponement of the royal tour was announced, expressed “hope that we do not give this gift to the thugs” by cancelling the trip.

Macron, whose attempts to raise the retirement age have sparked the mass protests across France, revealed on Friday that he had asked Buckingham Palace to delay the visit due to the current situation in France: “I think that we would not be serious and lack a certain common sense to propose to His Majesty the King and the Queen Consort to come on a state visit in the middle of the demonstrations.”

It is yet to be confirmed when the re-arranged visit to France will take place, though the King and Queen Consort are still expected to visit Germany later this week, making that Charles’ first state visit as monarch.

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