Do the French regret the monarchy? Or does Anglophile Emmanuel Macron think he is a bit of a king? To see the pomp with which Charles III and his wife were received by the French government is astonishing.
We almost forget that the French cut off the neck of Louis XVI.
The King of England was received at Versailles, in the restored Hall of Mirrors.
It must be remembered that the French nobility and clergy were overthrown because they shamelessly monopolized the country’s wealth. At Versailles, the king’s bedroom alone is still sufficient today, given its size, to comfortably accommodate at least two families. During this time, people were short of bread and the priests alleviated their suffering by promising them heaven after death.
Hateful
In the year 2023, there is something quite repulsive about seeing the president of one of the first republics of modern times present a salamlik to the king. Inviting him to Versailles is even worse. The King of the English should have been content with the Elysee, and Macron should have reserved the Palace of Versailles for the British Prime Minister.
I know these are symbols of British flattery. Ownership is still a dream, as Disney understands well.
But I find these icons becoming annoying. Because a large part of the French population finds it difficult to find housing. Because food has become too expensive for the French. Because Charlotte III and his lover are rather hated. Because Macron and some of the elites who strut around him do not seem to understand the situation in which France finds itself.
Yesterday, during the state dinner at Versailles, there was a kind of scent of the end of the government in the air.
The arrogance of kings and tyrants
In our democracies, great honors should be reserved for heads of other democratic states. Why flatter the egos of kings and dictators?
In the same context, we learned that Xi Jinping felt insulted when the German Foreign Minister described him as a dictator. According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, making such comments about Xi would be “extremely ridiculous and (…) a serious attack on China’s political dignity as well as an open political provocation.”
No, but seriously, should we refrain from calling Xi a dictator so as not to hurt him? It is subject to the unworthy, ridiculous and provocative dictates of the Chinese President.
Going back to Charles III, we can understand that the French government wanted to emphasize the relationship between France and the United Kingdom.
But the monarchy remains a symbol of the unjust system that generates revolutions. When the leaders of a democracy treat the king with such regard, they betray democratic ideals.
