King Charles III received a heartfelt reception from enthusiastic crowds on Friday, as he concluded his state visit to France with a visit to the southwestern city of Bordeaux. The visit was centered on environmental matters and included moments like enjoying a glass of organic wine and even encountering llamas.
King Charles III on Friday enjoyed a warm welcome from cheering crowds, a glass of organic wine and even an encounter with llamas as he wrapped up a state visit to France with a stop in the southwestern city of Bordeaux focused on the environment.
The 74-year-old British head of state’s three days of diplomacy have sought closer cross-Channel links after Brexit but also closer cooperation on environmental issues, his lifelong passion, that are now top of the global political agenda.
Later in the day, Charles celebrated defence ties between the two NATO allies aboard the British frigate HMS Iron Duke.
Ironically, the vessel is named after the Duke of Wellington, the British commander who defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In a key engagement on a visit where the environment has always been centre stage, Charles then inspected a research centre looking at how forests are adapting to climate change.
Huge fires, fuelled by drought and high temperatures, ripped through the southwestern Gironde region last year.
His last stop before heading home was a visit to the Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte vineyard, which has become a model of sustainable practices, where he sampled the local wine and even met the llamas kept in the vineyard.
The vineyard, founded in the 14th century and named after its Scottish former owner George Smith, uses organic compost and carbon dioxide recycling technology, shunning pesticides and herbicides.
On Thursday, Charles called for a new Franco-British partnership for the environment, an alliance for sustainability, as part of a wider effort to repair the frayed political ties caused by Brexit.
Speaking to lawmakers in the upper chamber of parliament. a first for a British monarch, he notably called climate change “our most existential challenge of all”.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
