Friday 17 March 2017

Royal Visit Paris: first photos (updated)


Entente cordiale - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace at the start of Royal Visit Paris
(photo Kensington Royal Twitter)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived in Paris for a two day visit, perhaps their biggest royal event so far this year. William and Kate have already met the President of France at the Elysee Palace and attended a reception for young leaders at the residence of the British Ambassador. And that's just for entrees. We've got a whole day of engagements on March 18th but as an aperitif for the tour, here are the first photos of Royal Visit Paris.




William and Kate met President Hollande at the Elysee and posed on the steps for the traditional photos. 


Kate was in the green coat worn to the St Patrick's Day parade earlier in London and the couple were all smiles on their first day of appearances since William faced criticism over that ski-ing trip.




The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went inside for an audience with President Hollande - the three have met several times before.


The meeting was held in the opulent surroundings of the Elysee Palace, once the home of Madame Pompadour, mistress to Louis XV and to Napoleon. It has been the official residence of the President of France since 1848.


There were more photos as William and Kate left their host and headed off for a sit down before an evening reception.



The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted this evening by the British Ambassador to France and his wife as they arrived for a reception for young leaders.




The evening event also sees the launch of 'Les Voisins', which will mark British/ French links.  The Duke of Cambridge gave a speech at the reception, beginning in French, before saying ''forgive me if I now continue in the language of Shakespeare, so as to reduce the risk of mangling the language of Moliere.''



William went on to tell his hosts that he and Kate were delighted to be in Paris and the speech touched on cultural links, security issues and economic ties.

William also paid tribute to those affected by the attacks on the Bataclan in 2015 and in Nice in 2016 - tomorrow, he and Kate will meet survivors of both as Royal Visit Paris continues. 




Then there was time for a quick change before dinner before William and Kate stepped out for a sparkling evening at the home of the British Ambassador.

There was another speech from William as day one of the visit came to an end. 




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