Of course, not all the people of Bordeaux managed to see them, let alone shake their hands or exchange a word with them. But overall, the visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Friday afternoon in the center of Bordeaux, will be remembered.
Bernard and Marianne followed the passage of the “royal tram”, when Charles and Camilla took public transport on a very short journey, between the turnaround station at the bottom of Quinconces, and the Bourse. “We didn’t see them, but honestly it doesn’t matter, we didn’t necessarily expect it either, and we were still able to follow the event at Place de la Bourse on a screen. It’s not every day that a king comes to Bordeaux, and this will bring notoriety to the city,” believes this couple.
Others, however, remained hungry. “I expected something else, more contact with people” regrets Chantal.
“In short, we talked for a little while” with the queen
The 1,500 guests invited to the Great event, organized at Place de la Bourse by the British Embassy to promote both the United Kingdom and regional products, were literally swept away by the Charles and Camilla wave. When the royal couple arrived at 2:50 p.m., the crowd closed around the King of England and the Queen, and the grip around them never eased.
Several Bordeaux residents had the privilege of exchanging a few words with them. Sylvain Boivert, director of the Council of Grands Crus Classés in 1855, tells us how he attracted the attention of Camilla, then in front of the Canelés stand, with a book on the Grands Crus Classés 1855. “She then told me the story – which I knew – of his father, who was the agent of the Cruze family [célèbre famille de négociants et propriétaires viticoles dans le Médoc] : it was therefore he who, after the war, distributed Pontet-Canet and Issan wines in England. She also told me, in very good French, that she herself has often come to Bordeaux, and that she greatly appreciates the wines of the region. Anyway, we talked for a little while. »
“He really liked the wine” that the CIVB presented to him
Charles, for his part, stopped for a long time at the stand of the CIVB, Bordeaux Interprofessional Wine Council, where he was made to taste the wine of Noémie Tanneau, a young winegrower undergoing organic conversion in Lussac-Saint-Emilion. At 36 years old, she was elected winemaker of the year to the “Bordeaux committed vineyard” trophies“and this is what finally decided us to present his Source cuvée to King Charles”, explains to 20 minutes Christophe Chateau, director of communications at the CIVB. The winegrower, in the middle of the harvest, had not made the trip.
“He really liked this wine that I presented to him,” Allan Sichel, president of the CIVB, told us afterwards. The king is very aware of the environmental issue, and he sees that Bordeaux wines are making efforts in terms of biodiversity and reducing the use of pesticides. » Of British origin, Allan Sichel does not hide the fact that on a personal level, this visit had a double importance. “It was obviously a very powerful moment for me, to be able to shake hands with the king and exchange a few words. »
Fig-hazelnut Camembert, and two Comtés 39 and 54 months
But the height of emotion was certainly reached by Delphine, a cheesemaker from rue des Remparts in Bordeaux, who had been selected to hold a stand at Place de la Bourse. “Initially, there was talk of the king coming to taste with us, in our shop,” she tells us. Finally its visit last March was canceled, and this time, we were asked if we would like to set up a stand here, Place de la Bourse. When the king passed by, he said to us: “Finally, we’re getting there!” »
“He knew for months what he was going to eat at our house,” she continues: he tasted the fig-hazelnut Camembert, a 39-month-old Comté, and we tried a wheel of 54-month-old Comté with him and Camilla. » With tears in her eyes, she assures that “it was a beautiful moment, because they made us feel at ease, they are simple people. » Charles and Camilla left “with a camembert and a piece of Brie”. “We are delighted with this meeting, because it highlights the 101 farmers with whom we work,” concludes the cheesemaker.
The Fiji rugby team, which established its base camp at Lormont in the suburbs of Bordeaux, during the World Cup, was invited for the occasion. At the end of the journey, she sang a magnificent traditional Fijian song to accompany the departure of the royal couple.
“Common language” between the king and the mayor
Earlier in the day, Charles and Camilla were received at city hall by Mayor Pierre Hurmic. Together they planted an oak tree in the town hall gardens. “When we proposed to the British authorities to plant this oak, they told us that it was a very good idea, and that they were going to offer it to us, so it is a British oak” explained Friday afternoon the mayor of Bordeaux.
“We spoke very simply,” continues Pierre Hurmic, “especially since we speak a common language, that of ecology. He asked me a lot about the way we green the city, I explained to him that sometimes we planted trees in parking spaces to limit the space for cars in the city, he looked at me and raised both thumbs up in the air, as a sign of royal approval. We also discussed the constraints represented by the UNESCO classification of the city, for the installation of solar panels on the roof or the greening of certain squares on the 18th century facades. I felt he was very attentive to the constraints that an environmentalist mayor may have. »
“The royal couple will keep fond memories of their time in Bordeaux”
Pierre Hurmic finally said he was “struck by the welcome the people of Bordeaux gave him. » “I was surprised that there was such a popular demonstration around the person of the king, by all those who wanted to greet him, approach him, photograph him… He is a personality who is very popular. »
If the elected official recognizes that “the protocol part is not the part [qu’il] prefers”, he believes that “everything went well. » “The royal couple will keep good memories of their visit to Bordeaux, in any case they warmly thanked me for the welcome the people of Bordeaux gave them. » And for the record, Pierre Hurmic, for half a day, abandoned his eternal sneakers for a pair of more… formal shoes, too.