160 guests, a meal with prestigious dishes in a historic setting… How much did the dinner offered by the republic to Charles III and Camilla at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday September 20 cost? The amount is causing speculation on social networks: in Facebook posts, on X (former Twitter) or even on TikTok, Internet users advance an amount of 6.2 million euros, without however giving the source of their calculations. An amount that raises indignant comments: “It’s really not the end of abundance for everyone”, ironizes an account on TikTok, in a video viewed 240,000 times in two days.
The images of the reception in the Hall of Mirrors also made some of the opposition jump. Louis Boyard, LFI deputy, wrote Tuesday to the Minister Delegate in charge of public accounts, to ask him the cost of the dinner.
Star chef Yannick Alléno “offered his services”
How much did this evening cost taxpayers? Contacted, the Elysée did not respond to requests from 20 minutes. We therefore approached the service providers to find out under what conditions they intervened. Three renowned chefs, Anne-Sophie Pic, Yannick Alléno and Pierre Hermé, were responsible for the starter, main course and dessert respectively. Yannick Alléno’s press service tells us that the three-star chef “offered his services for the dinner and did not charge for this service”. Was it the same for the other two leaders? Pierre Hermé’s team tells us that they “do not wish to speak behind the scenes of this dinner, due to the confidentiality inherent to it”. Anne-Sophie Pic’s team did not return our requests.
On the menu, guests tasted crab and blue lobster, followed by Bresse poultry marinated in champagne and accompanied by a porcini mushroom gratin. The meal ended with a revisited version of Ispahan, a dessert made with strawberries, lychees and raspberries. The cheese platter consisted of a Pélardon from the Cévennes, a Comté de Grande Garde and a Stilton, an English raw milk cheese. The cost of this tray was 5 euros per person according to our information.
No financial compensation paid to Versailles for the closure
In their glasses, the guests were offered a selection of three wines, according to Le Figaro : a Château Mouton Rothschild 2004 in double magnum, a Bâtard Montrachet grand cru 2018 and a champagne from Pol Roger cuvée Winston Churchill 2013 in magnum. Exceptionally, the bottles of Mouton Rothschild were offered, explains the Bordeaux wine house: “It is a private donation from the Rothschild family in tribute to the friendly ties created with the royal family over several years. » It is also a watercolor of Prince Charles which adorns the bottle of the vintage which was served at Versailles. On the other hand, “no guest left with a bottle of Mouton Rothschild”. As for the bottles of Pol Roger champagne, they were indeed invoiced at the Elysée. “The Elysée makes a point of honor,” specifies the champagne house. A bottle is currently sold online for between 260 and 310 euros. The Olivier Leflaive estate, which harvests Bâtard Montrachet, did not respond to our requests. Bottles of this grand cru are sold for around 550 euros online.
What other costs were incurred that evening? The Elysée has not communicated the name of the florist(s) who contributed to the flowering of the Hall of Mirrors. The dishes come from the State collections. If he received one, the fee of Daniel Lozakovich, a Swedish violinist who played for the guests, was also not revealed.
No compensation must be paid to the public establishment which manages the Palace of Versailles. “There are no rental or privatization fees, as is the case for all public establishments”, explains the press service of the public establishment to 20 minutes. ” There’s no [non plus] financial compensation linked to the closure. The ticket office was blocked and those who had purchased a ticket well in advance were offered an offer to postpone their visit. »
Near Release, the Elysée denied the amount of 6 million euros, calling it “aberrant” and putting forward a cost “well below what is propagated”. The president’s services indicated that the amount “will eventually be known because all expenses are recorded by the Court of Auditors.”
The Elysée had defended the choice of Versailles for this dinner, recalling that Elizabeth II had gone there several times. The idea was also to promote France with a place recognized throughout the world.
In Germany, the state banquet given during Charles and Camilla’s visit at the end of March cost 43,000 euros, according to information from Spiegel. The amount was revealed at the beginning of May, after a request for information from a political group. Around 130 people, mainly political figures, had been invited at this dinner.