France visit of King Charles III. postponed due to wave of protests – politics

The planned state visit of King Charles III. in France postponed because of pension protests. This was announced by the Élysée Palace. A new date for the visit has not yet been set. The decision was made after a phone call between Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron. Originally, Charles was due to come to France Sunday through Wednesday with his wife Camilla on his first foreign visit as Britain’s king.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the cancellation: “Their Majesties very much look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as a date is found,” it said in a brief statement.

In France, the dispute over the pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron escalated for a few days. In spontaneous protests there are riots and violence every night. According to the Interior Ministry, more than a million people took part in a day of strikes and protests on Thursday. The union CGT spoke of 3.5 million participants.

The Élysée Palace cited this as the reason for postponing Charles’ visit. It should be possible to receive Charles under the conditions that correspond to the friendly relationship. Rumors had previously been circulating that part of the program of visits could be adjusted due to the ongoing pension protests.

The British king is expected in Germany on March 29th. The Office of the Federal President in Berlin said the visit was taking place despite the postponement of Charles’ visit to France.