The final day of King Charles III’s state visit to France is culminating in a trip to Bordeaux that will focus on the environment, his lifelong passion.
The King and Queen Camilla were cheered and applauded by crowds after arriving in the town in south-west France on Friday.
Queen Camilla, who wore a turquoise Anna Valentine coat dress, earrings and the late Queen Elizabeth II's diamond brooch, was handed a bouquet as the royal couple greeted hundreds of well-wishers in the town which is twinned with Bristol.
Locals waved French and Union flags, and shouted “God save the king”.
Butcher Georges Britouille, 57, said: “This, for us, is historic, to have the king visit where we live is something to be remembered.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla met the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees and his Bordeaux counterpart Pierre Hurmic before being shown an agreement between the two cities.
They signed the town hall's guest book before going out to the garden to plant a loquat leaf oak tree.
King Charles giggled as Queen Camilla poured water on the plant, saying “very good”.
They later joined a reception on a royal navy frigate to celebrate military ties between the countries.
The town – an English possession in the Middle Ages that English and French royalty fought over for centuries – is home to around about 39,000 Britons today, and the king and queen met with Britons running businesses in the region.
After flying in to Bordeaux from Paris, the king and queen will briefly switch to more environmentally friendly public transport, riding a pioneering electric tram to the main city square.
The monarch met emergency workers and communities affected by wildfires in the region last year, as well as visiting an experimental forest designed to monitor the effects of climate change on urban woodlands while in Bordeaux.
The couple also travelled to a vineyard known for its sustainable approach to wine making, in a region where wine exports are a pillar of the economy.
Severe drought last year forced Bordeaux's earliest harvest yet, and it has long been working to adapt to climate change.
Bordeaux's Green Mayor Pierre Hurmic said he had no problem finding a common language with King Charles.
“We spoke very simply, naturally. In both French and in English. But our common language is ecology,” he said.
The visit comes months after vast swathes of Europe, including France, where thousands of people were evacuated, suffered devastating wildfires fuelled by climate change.
Friday’s events mark the third and final day of a state visit aimed at shoring up the alliance between Britain and France. His warm words towards France were met with a standing ovation in the Senate and even cheers of “Long Live the King!”
During the speech, when he became the first British monarch to address the chamber, he urged France to unite with Britain in tackling climate change.
“Just as we stand together against military aggression, so must we strive together to protect the world from our most existential challenge of all – that of global warming, climate change and the catastrophic destruction of nature,” he said.
“Jacques-Yves Cousteau said so wisely: ‘For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realise that, in order to survive, he must protect it’.”
King Charles III visits France – in pictures
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Britain's King Charles III greets people in Bordeaux on the third day of his state visit to France. Reuters -
King Charles arrives to for a reception on the flight deck of HMS Iron Duke in Bordeaux. PA -
King Charles disembarks an aircraft with Queen Camilla as they arrive at Bordeaux-Merignac Airport. Reuters -
French President Emmanuel Macron with King Charles during their visit to the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Reuters -
King Charles and Queen Camilla view reconstruction work at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. Reuters -
King Charles meets firefighters at Notre-Dame, which was devastated by a blaze in April 2019. AP -
Queen Camilla plays table tennis, watched by King Charles and Brigitte Macron, as they meet local youth sports associations in Saint-Denis near Paris. Getty Images -
King Charles speaks with a member of the Paris Saint-Germain Foundation in Saint-Denis. Reuters -
The queen, Ms Macron, and the chief executive of Chanel, Leena Nair, visit the French fashion house's 19M Campus. EPA -
King Charles III delivers a speech to members of parliament at the French Senate in Paris. Reuters -
Alternating between French and English, King Charles highlighted "the long friendship between our nations and our peoples" and that "the United Kingdom will always be one of the closest and best allies" of France. AP -
French Senators and members of the National Assembly greet King Charles. EPA -
Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron during a visit to the national library in Paris. PA -
King Charles delivers a speech as French President Emmanuel Macron listens on at a state dinner in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Reuters -
Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte welcome King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Palace of Versailles near Paris. Reuters -
From left, Queen Camilla, King Charles, and the Macrons at the palace. Reuters -
Among the guests at the state dinner were British actor Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Elisabet Eberstein, a TV producer. AP -
Dassault Aviation chief executive Eric Trappier was another guest. AP -
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin arrives for the state dinner at the Palace of Versailles. AP -
Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH Moet Hennessy, and his wife Helene Mercier-Arnault arrive for the occasion. AP -
The French Republican Guard stand to attention at the Palace of Versailles. Getty Images -
King Charles at the palace. EPA -
Ms Macron welcomes Queen Camilla to the Palace of Versailles. Reuters -
Mr Macron greets King Charles before the dinner in the monarch's honour. Reuters -
King Charles and Ms Macron shake hands. Reuters -
The Macrons arrive for the state dinner. Reuters -
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive. Reuters -
Queen Camilla outside the Palace of Versailles. Getty Images -
King Charles and Mr Macron share a joke. Reuters -
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was also among the guests at the Palace of Versailles. Reuters -
Leena Nair, chief executive of Chanel, and Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at the company, arrive for the dinner. Reuters -
The Palace of Versailles before the guests arrived. Getty Images -
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and his partner Melanie Hamrick were also invited. Reuters -
Britain's King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron lay a wreath of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. AFP -
King Charles and Mr Macron during the welcoming ceremony. Reuters -
King Charles and Mr Macron during a remembrance ceremony. EPA -
French air force's elite acrobatic flying team the Patrouille de France and the RAF's aerobatic team the Red Arrows perform a fly past. AFP -
King Charles and Mr Macron during a ceremonial welcome at the Arc De Triomphe. Getty Images -
French Prime Minister, Ms Elisabeth Borne, right, welcomes King Charles and Queen Camilla at Orly Airport. PA -
The king and queen arrive at Orly Airport. PA -
The Royal Standard and the French flag are flown from the window of the cockpit as the plane carrying King Charles arrives in Paris. PA -
A security officer in stands in front of the plane. PA -
A bomb squad member and a sniffer dog inspect a car prior to the arrival of the king. EPA -
Workers clean the red carpet at Orly Airport. AP
In an address to the French Senate on Thursday, King Charles praised France and the United Kingdom’s “indispensable relationship” and its capacity to meet the world’s challenges, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and climate change. He called for a new “entente for sustainability”.
He also spoke about his concern for the climate in his toast at a state dinner in the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening.
The king’s comments came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced he was watering down some of Britain’s climate commitments, including delaying the introduction of a ban on new gas and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.
On Thursday, the second day of his state visit to France, the king met young athletes in a working-class, multicultural suburb of Paris and made an emotional stop in front of the fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral.
