Visits of Queen Elizabeth II in France
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Last Updated: 8 September 2022

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Throughout her reign (1953-2022), the Queen of England expressed her pleasure at discovering France, “this beautiful country” which she first visited in 1948. On many occasions, the Queen has shown great affection for the French people. Indeed, outside the Commonwealth, France was arguably the country she visited most in the world. This is due to the geographical proximity of France and England, but also to more historical and cultural reasons. In this article, you will find a list of all of Queen Elizabeth II’s visits to France, in chronological order, including the cities and sites she visited. And as you’ll see, there are some interesting facts… Let’s follow Queen Elizabeth II in France!

 

🇬🇧 8 September 2022 – We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts and condolences are with the Royal Family and everyone around the world whose lives she touched. –

🇫🇷 8 septembre 2022 – Nous sommes profondément attristés par le décès de Sa Majesté la reine Elizabeth II. Nos pensées et nos condoléances vont à la famille royale et à tous ceux qui, dans le monde entier, ont été touchés par sa vie. –

 

The French and the English: the best enemies?

It was hard to believe when Parisians came to greet Elizabeth II with cries of “Vive la Reine” at the flower market in 2014!

Ironically, this picturesque market is located on the Île de la Cité, a stone’s throw from the former Conciergerie prison where Marie-Antoinette was imprisoned before her execution during the French Revolution.

Conciergerie 05 © French Moments
Conciergerie © French Moments

This heartfelt cry was certainly not the first in France.

 

A francophile Queen… of England

Since her first visit in 1948, Elizabeth II has become a star in the country.

By turns curious, fascinated and then charmed, the French have a particular affection and enthusiasm for the Queen of England.

For her part, Elizabeth II likes to point out that she is a long-standing friend of France, of its culture and its language, of which she masters all the subtleties and nuances.

Elizabeth II in 2015 © PolizeiBerlin - licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Elizabeth II in 2015 © PolizeiBerlin – licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons

Indeed, France is the European country that Elizabeth II has visited the most. She has made five state visits there, in 1957, 1972, 1992, 2004 and 2014, not counting unofficial and private visits.

The British monarch also holds the title of Duchess of Normandy. This title allows her to govern the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark.

Why such an attachment to France?

Perhaps it is due to her French ancestry…

 

The French ancestry of Queen Elizabeth II

It is known that Elizabeth II is descended, through her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, from the Orange-Nassau, Stuart, Lancaster and Plantagenet families.

But the Queen of England also has French blood running through her veins. We have to go back to the beginning of the 17th century in La Rochelle.

La Rochelle 30 © French Moments
The harbour of La Rochelle © French Moments

It was in this town that her ancestor, Alexandre Desmier, lord of Olbreuse, Antigny, Beugnon and La Bruère, was baptised in 1608. This Protestant gentleman, from an old Poitevin family, attested to in the 14th century, had four children, including a daughter named Eléonore.

Éléonore Desmier d’Olbreuse is called the grandmother of Europe.

Éléonore Desmier d'Olbreuse c. 1690
Éléonore Desmier d’Olbreuse c. 1690

She is the link to the King of England, George I, Queen Victoria’s great-great-grandfather.

Éléonore is also the ancestor of French President François Mitterrand, who are thus very distant cousins!

François Mitterrand [Public Domain]
François Mitterrand [Public Domain]

Throughout her reign, the doyenne of the kings and queens of Europe knew all the presidents of the Fourth and Fifth Republics.

Queen Elizabeth II in France. By Joel Rouse (Ministry of Defence), and nagualdesign, OGL 3
Queen Elizabeth II. By Joel Rouse (Ministry of Defence), and nagualdesign, OGL 3

 

Elizabeth II in France

To find the dates of Queen Elizabeth’s visits to France, I had to spend a lot of time searching the archives on the Internet. No site gave me a global overview of all her visits.

And some sources, however reputable, contradicted themselves in the years and activities.

According to my research, the Queen visited France on at least 14 occasions.

Queen Elizabeth II in France. D-Day Commemoration in Bayeux Cemetery - 6 June 2014 © UK in France - licence [CC BY 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Queen Elizabeth II in France. D-Day Commemoration in Bayeux Cemetery – 6 June 2014 © UK in France – licence [CC BY 2.0] from Wikimedia Commons

However, it should be remembered that Elizabeth II, a keen equestrian, also stayed at various stud farms in Normandy.

Curiously, Elizabeth II never went to Mont-Saint-Michel nor Brittany, and even less to the Périgord.

Worse, according to my research, Queen Elizabeth II seems never to have strolled along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Shocking!

The Seafront in Nice - Stock Photos from Sergii Zinko - Shutterstock
The Promenade des Anglais in Nice – Stock Photos from Sergii Zinko – Shutterstock

 

Elizabeth II in France: there are still mysteries!

The queen is said to have visited the medieval city of Carcassonne and stayed at the Hôtel de la Cité.

Porte d'Aude (Aude Gate) © French Moments
Porte d’Aude (Aude Gate) © French Moments

However, so far I have not found any trace of this stay. If you have any information on this subject, please let me know!

 

1948: a princess in Paris

In May 1948, Elizabeth made her first official visit abroad without her parents. The 22-year-old princess had just married Philip Mountbatten.

She chose Paris.

The four-day trip, from 14 to 17 May, came only three years after the end of the Second World War. It was the first time in her life that Elizabeth left British soil.

No one knew it at the time, but she was pregnant with a baby boy to be named Charles.

For this first visit, the Princess attended a gala evening at the Opera Garnier, a dinner at the Tour d’Argent and a reception at the Elysée with President Auriol.

The curiosity of the Parisians proved to be immense.

On the occasion of a visit to the Galliera Museum, which presented an exhibition entitled “Eight centuries of British life in Paris”, the Princess made her first speech in French.

The royal couple took part in an outing in Paris by night. In a nightclub in the Rue Pierre Charon, they danced and listened to Henri Salvador and his orchestra. Then Edith Piaf sang “La vie en rose” for them.

Finally, Elizabeth went to the flower market in the Ile de la Cité, a place she enjoyed very much.

The Parisians were charmed. This would have prompted the future queen to ask:

“Mais comment le peuple français a-t-il pu guillotiner un roi ?”

(But how could the French people guillotine a king?)

This first visit to a foreign country left a deep and lasting impression on the queen.

Les aventures de “la petite princesse” Elizabeth à Paris en 1948

 

1957: First state visit

Queen Elizabeth II made her first official visit to France from 8 to 11 April 1957. This was four years after her coronation. She was then 30 years old.

Her Majesty was received with great pomp at the Palace of Versailles by President René Coty.

A sumptuous reception took place in the Hall of Mirrors with a menu of Grand Siècle woodcock supreme on plates costing 100,000 francs each.

The Queen went to the Paris Opera to see the play Le Chevalier et la damoiselle.

Then a gala dinner was organised in the Salle des Cariatides in the Louvre, amidst the paintings.

A little anecdote: Buckingham Palace had sent the Elysée Palace a memo concerning the Queen:

“Her Majesty has a small appetite but will eat just about anything, except caviar, oysters and shellfish in general. She prefers simple food. ”

Then, Elizabeth and Philip set off on a cruise along the Seine. Along the five-mile route, there were tableaux vivants depicting French history: musketeers in front of the Louvre, King Henry IV in the Square du Vert-Galant, and a fireworks display on the Pont Alexandre III.

This visit took place in a tense diplomatic context following the fiasco of the Suez expedition in 1956.

Elizabeth II et la France, naissance d’une love story

 

A visit to Lille

For her last day in France, Elizabeth wanted to come to Lille to spend a few hours on her way back to London. The royal couple went to the Hôtel de Ville to be received with all the honours of the city. The visit continued with the laying of a wreath at the war memorial on Place Rihour and the annual flower market on the Grand Place.

Grand Place effet maquette © Laurent Ghesquière
Grand’Place in Lille © Laurent Ghesquière

Just before returning to London, the couple made a short visit to Roubaix to see two of the Prouvost group’s largest textile factories: Peignage Amédée and Lainière de Roubaix (10,000 workers at the time).

In 1960, it was the Queen’s turn to receive a French president: Charles de Gaulle. In his honour, the Queen organised a grand gala evening in Covent Garden.

Le jour où la Reine Elizabeth II est venue à Lille

 

1967: Tour of the Normandy stud farms

On Friday 26 May 1967, Elizabeth II landed at Tours airport at around 11 am and immediately set off for Normandy for a three-day visit. The Queen stayed at the Château de Sassy, between Argentan and Alençon.

A keen equestrian, the Queen had long wanted to discover the French stud farms (les haras in French). She visited the Haras National du Pin, the Haras du Mesnil, the Haras de La Verrerie, Marcel Boussac’s stud in Fresnayle-Buffard, as well as Meautry, the stud of Baron Guy de Rothschild, near Deauville.

Haras du Pin © Selbymay - licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Haras du Pin © Selbymay – licence [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons

She flew back to Deauville on the morning of Monday 29 May.

Elizabeth II en France : “Ce sont mes vacances”

 

1972: Second State visit

In May 1972, three years after the events of 1968, the Queen was received by Georges Pompidou at the Elysée Palace.

Première journée Elizabeth II

There was a near diplomatic incident when President Pompidou took the Queen’s arm to help her up the steps of the Elysée Palace… Indeed, as British protocol stipulates, it is formally forbidden to touch the monarch, or even to speak to her if no one has invited you to do so.

On the Champ-de-Mars, Elizabeth II admired an equestrian show given by the Cadre Noir of Saumur and the Garde Républicaine, before attending the races at Longchamp.

The visit included a further visit to the Palace of Versailles, which she described as “an enchanting blend of what is both similar and different in our two countries”. Elizabeth II thus holds the record for visits by foreign heads of state to Versailles.

Versailles Gold © French Moments
Palace of Versailles © French moments

On this occasion, she visited the Renault factory, including a room displaying the Dauphine car.

The Queen took the opportunity to visit her uncle, the Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallis Simpson, at their residence in the Bois de Boulogne. The Queen’s uncle died of cancer later that month.

What Really Happened When Queen Elizabeth II Visited the Duke of Windsor on His Deathbed

 

A visit to Provence

On 17 May, the royal couple visited Provence. The programme included Nîmes, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the Camargue and Avignon.

General view of Avignon General View - Stock Photos from saiko3p : Shutterstock
General view of Avignon General View – Stock Photos from saiko3p : Shutterstock

The Queen spent the night in Les Baux-de-Provence, in a former sheepfold converted into a luxury hotel by a Lyon businessman.

Il y a 44 ans, la reine d’Angleterre était à Avignon

 

Next stop: Normandy!

On 19 May, Prince Philip and the Queen of England visited Rouen. They visited the Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc was burned, and the Saint-Sever military cemetery in Petit-Quevilly, which contains almost 12,000 British graves.

19 mai 1972 : souvenez-vous ! la Reine Elizabeth était à Rouen

 

Anxious French organisers?

Claude Pompidou, France’s First Lady, was later quoted as saying:

“We were very anxious to see her get off the plane.”

Georges Pompidou himself is reported to have said:

“We went to a lot of trouble to receive her at the Elysée. We said to ourselves: ‘We’ll never manage to make it as good as she expects. And finally, she was absolutely charming! “

 

1979: Loire Valley Castles and Burgundy

On 24 October 1979, Elizabeth II made a private day trip to the Loire Valley. After landing at Tours airport, the monarch visited two of the most famous French royal castles.

 

Chambord and Chenonceaux

First of all, she visited the castle of Chambord. The magnificent estate of François I represented all the power of this monarch who had challenged Henry VIII of England. Arriving at 12.30 p.m., a dinner was organised in the hunting room of François I. Elizabeth II then followed the administrator of the estate, Geoffroy Chancerelle de Roquancourt-Keravel, on a guided tour. The Queen was enchanted by the wonders of Chambord. But the visit was a whirlwind.

Chambord North Facade © Nono vlf [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons
The castle’s North Facade © Nono vlf [CC BY-SA 4.0] from Wikimedia Commons

In the afternoon she went to Chenonceau, which she visited in the company of Madame Giscard d’Estaing.

The Chenonceau Castle, known in French as the Château des Dames, welcomed a new queen, this time from the other side of the Channel. The sumptuous and delicate decor of the castle built on a bridge dazzled the sovereign.

Chenonceau © Ra-smit [GFDL (http-::www.gnu.org:copyleft:fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Chenonceau © Ra-smit [GFDL (http-::www.gnu.org:copyleft:fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

She was particularly impressed by the Chamber of the Five Queens, which she discovered with the owners Jean-Louis and Pauline Ménier, and the curator of the time, Bernard Voisin.

Elizabeth II : dans les pas d’une reine en Touraine

 

A trip to Burgundy

The Queen then headed for Burgundy: to the castle of Epoisses, the Hospices de Beaune and the Basilica of Vézelay.

Hospices de Beaune © French Moments
The courtyard of the Hospices de Beaune © French Moments

The stay in France ended with a short reception at the British Embassy in Paris.

Visite de la Reine d’Angleterre au château d’Epoisses (Bourgogne)

 

1984: Normandy

On 8 June 1984, Elizabeth II took part in the ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings at Utah Beach (Arromanches), alongside François Mitterrand and the American President, Ronald Reagan.

The first ceremony involving foreign sovereigns and heads of state on the beaches of D-Day was held in 1984. Other similar celebrations will take place every ten years, in 1994, 2004 and 2014.

Accompanied by French President François Mitterrand, the Queen visited the British cemetery at Bayeux.

1984, l’année où les chefs d’Etat se sont donné rendez-vous en Normandie

 

1987: Normandy

During a weekend of relaxation in Deauville (around 25 May), Queen Elizabeth II visited the Alec Head stud farm. She rode in a Rolls Royce on the promenade des Planches, without setting foot on the ground, by special dispensation.

When asked “How did you find her?” several stable boys comically replied, “Who? the horse?”

Quand la reine Elisabeth II visitait les haras de Normandie

 

1992: Strasbourg

On 12 May 1992, Queen Elizabeth II went to Strasbourg to give a speech in the European Parliament. Dressed in the colours of Europe – blue coat and hat – it was the Queen’s first visit to the Council of Europe and the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

In a very consensual speech in which she referred to Winston Churchill and Jean Monnet – in French in the text – the Sovereign, in a nearly full hemicycle, congratulated herself on the efforts “unique in the history of the world” made since the war to bring together “the European family”.

Queen Elizabeth II in France - official visit to the EP in Strasbourg © Egon Klepsch - Communautés Européennes 1992 - Source / PE
Queen Elizabeth II in France – official visit to the EP in Strasbourg © Egon Klepsch – Communautés Européennes 1992 – Source / PE

[le Figaro] 1992 : quand Elisabeth II louait la richesse de l’Europe

 

1992: Third State visit

The year 1992 was rich in political events. It was a time when the Maastricht Treaty was stirring passions on both sides of the Channel.

In the company of President Mitterrand, she drove down the Champs-Elysées in the same car as in 1972, a Citroën SM.

She also visited the Bagatelle gardens in the Bois de Boulogne, in the company of President François Mitterrand and Prime Minister Jacques Chirac, the Parc de la Villette, the Louvre Pyramid and the Manet Room in the Orsay Museum.

Parc de Bagatelle © French Moments
The Orangerie, Parc de Bagatelle © French Moments

In the garden of the British Embassy, she found the elm tree she had planted in 1957: “It has grown up well”, she declared.

 

The castle of Blois

On 11 June, she travelled on the Atlantic TGV at 300 km/h to Blois. After a reception at the town hall hosted by the Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, the Queen visited the Castle of Blois, a Renaissance masterpiece.

Blois Castle © Tango7174 (CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Blois Castle © Tango7174 (CC BY-SA 4.0-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Of her visit, the Queen said:

“Une visite en France n’est jamais parfaite si elle ne passe pas par la Loire. Les attentions chaleureuses de ses habitants et la beauté de ses paysages resteront longtemps gravées dans mon cœur”.

(A visit to France is never perfect without passing through the Loire. The warmth of its people and the beauty of its landscapes will long remain in my heart.)

 

Two days in Bordeaux

On 11 and 12 June, she visited Bordeaux, a former possession of the English in the Middle Ages.

Bordeaux © French Moments
Bordeaux © French Moments

To conclude this State visit, the President of the Republic had the plane taking the Queen back to Great Britain escorted by air force fighters. It was a rare tribute!

Queen Elizabeth ends state visit to France [1992]

 

1994: Calais

On 6 May 1994, the Queen and French President François Mitterrand inaugurated the channel tunnel. Shortly before 1 pm, French President François Mitterrand and Queen Elizabeth II of England cut a symbolic ribbon at the French terminal at Coquelles near Calais.

The two heads of state then drove to the English terminal at Cheriton, near Folkestone, in the royal white Rolls-Royce, to attend another ceremony on the English side.

The Queen, who spoke in French, noted that:

“Au cours du siècle présent, au plus dur de l’épreuve, la conjugaison de l’élan français et du pragmatisme britannique a fait merveille. Le tunnel proclame cette vérité simple: continuons aujourd’hui à faire cause commune pour le bénéfice de l’humanité tout entière.

Le peuple français et le peuple britannique, aussi différents soient-ils, d’une région à l’autre et d’une personne à l’autre, et en dépit de leur rivalité séculaire, se complètent bien, mieux sans doute qu’il n’y paraît à première vue”.

(“In the present century, at the height of the ordeal, the combination of French élan and British pragmatism has worked wonders. The tunnel proclaims this simple truth: let us continue today to make common cause for the benefit of all humanity.

The French people and the British people, however different they may be, from region to region and from person to person, and despite their age-old rivalry, complement each other well, perhaps better than they appear at first sight.”)

English Channel tunnel opens

 

1994: Normandy

On 6 June 1984, Elizabeth II returned to Normandy for the 50th anniversary of D-Day at Omaha Beach.

 

1998: Paris

On 11 November 1998, the Queen returned to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice. President Jacques Chirac and the Queen of England each laid a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe and then went to the statue of Clemenceau before inaugurating a statue of Churchill, near the Petit Palais.

Three arm candelabra near the Petit Palais © French Moments
Statue of Churchill near the Petit Palais © French Moments

 

2004: Fourth State Visit

In April 2004, Elizabeth II and her husband Philip were back in France for the centenary of the Entente Cordiale.

The royal couple crossed the Channel by Eurostar, inaugurated 10 years earlier.

For their three-day stay in France, Elizabeth and Philip were welcomed by Jacques Chirac on the Place de la Concorde.

Place de la Concorde © French Moments
The fountain of the seas in Place de la Concorde © French Moments

Together they walked up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, where the Queen laid a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Then, the Queen gave a famous speech to the Senate (Palais du Luxembourg) in impeccable French.

The Queen strolled along the Rue Montorgueil in the First arrondissement and even took the risk of a walk in the crowd.

On 7 April, the royal couple visited the Airbus assembly plant in Toulouse and had a stroll in the old town, from Place du Capitole to the Jacobins convent.

Toulouse Capitole © Benh LIEU SONG - licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Capitole of Toulouse © Benh LIEU SONG – licence [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons

2014: Fifth state visit

Elizabeth II’s last state visit to France was in June 2014.

She arrived in Paris-Gare du Nord on the Eurostar high-speed train.

This three-day trip to France was mainly for the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Ouistreham (Calvados), on Friday 6 June 2014, alongside François Hollande and Barack Obama.

Elizabeth II is the only living head of state to have lived through and participated in the Second World War.

The following day, Saturday 7 June, she drove her Bentley to Paris’ Flower Market on the Ile de la Cité, renamed after her for the occasion.

Queen Elizabeth II in France - Flower Market © French Moments
Marché aux Fleurs – Queen Elizabeth II in France © French Moments

Queen honoured with the renaming of Paris flower market [BBC]

This was probably the last time Elizabeth II visited France.

D-Day : Elizabeth II acclamée à Paris, les festivités continuent en Normandie

What other sites could you have suggested to Queen Elizabeth II in France? Rocamadour? Nice? Lyon? Mont-Saint-Michel? Brittany? Let us know in the comments!

 

More about Queen Elizabeth II in France

Here’s a short selection of sites about Queen Elizabeth II in France with photos and videos.

Les trésors photos de Paris Match : Elizabeth II et la France

Les cinq visites d’Etat de la reine d’Angleterre [en France]

These Photos Of The Queen’s Trips To France Are Packed With Joie De Vivre

Elizabeth II, reine de Versailles

List of state visits made by Elizabeth II [on Wikipedia] 

Read this article in FRENCH on our blog! 

 

Various Videos – Elizabeth II in France

Queen Elizabeth II in Versailles:

A French dinner for the Queen – in the kitchens of the Elysée Palace:

Elizabeth II : un destin royal :

 

Featured image of Queen Elizabeth II in France: photos © French Moments except for the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II: By Joel Rouse (Ministry of Defence), and nagualdesign, OGL 3

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About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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