The King dances Or The speech of a king ? Invited to dinner at the Palace of Versailles, Yann Arthus-Bertrand had “the impression of being in a film”, he confided to Parisian. To receive the King of England, Charles III, Emmanuel Macron did not do things by halves, surrounding himself with all the elite of French and British cultural, political, economic and sporting celebrities.
From Mick Jagger to Hugh Grant via Patrick Vieira and Bernard Arnault, some 150 guests were able to taste the menu… of king: Mouton Rothschild in the glasses, blue lobster, crab, Bresse poultry and dessert by Pierre Hermé on the plates. A sumptuous dinner in the symbolic Hall of Mirrors which contrasts with the daily life of the French, more and more of them lining up in front of the doors of food aid associations. A sumptuous dinner in the form of a risky bet for the head of state, while the communications operation could restore his image as well as worsen his image. “It’s a little early to say,” analyzes Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, professor of political communication at Sciences Po.
A “competition far from the codes of the Republic”
As “a game of approval, Versailles has become the equivalent of Buckingham Palace,” observes Elodie Laye Mielczareck, a semiolinguist specializing in verbal and non-verbal language. The choice of place to organize this official dinner was indeed not trivial. Emmanuel Macron could have received Charles III at the Elysée Palace, the lair of the Republic, but he preferred a place full of symbols, “the very temple of absolute monarchy”, underlines Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet.
The political communications specialist sees the image of a “competition between two monarchies, far from the codes of the Republic” with “a president with monarchical style and practice”. It is also the analysis of Elodie Laye Mielczareck which recalls the “figure of the king”, the “Jupiterian” president of 2017, walking in front of the Louvre Pyramid. So many postures of Emmanuel Macron which made the idea of the republican monarch shine. “Ultimately Emmanuel Macron is the French double of Charles III,” she says, insisting on the symbolic nature of her analysis because “the Presidency of the Republic is not a monarchy.”
Glitter in the eyes
However, this real spectacle brought together “a lot of history with a lot of glamour, a formula which can arouse sympathy” with regard to Emmanuel Macron, suggests Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet. Its popularity, slowed down recently by current events (from pension reform to riots) could even benefit from this flagship moment of communication. “He could rely on the popularity of Charles III as a stepping stone to regain a link with public opinion and relegitimize himself,” further develops the political science specialist.
A momentum that he will be able to continue by inviting himself to the pope’s mass at the Vélodrome in Marseille and thus speak “to both viewers of The Crown, to Maradona fans and to the Catholic electorate,” Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet predicts. It’s a bit like “the paradox between this British monarchy that we like in France, which attracts an audience, which is popular, in total disconnect with reality, far from empathy with regard to everyday life” , he continues.
But no butter in the spinach
At the same time (as Emmanuel Macron would say), it is a message sent by the presidency “which can be problematic as it sends an image out of sync with the daily reality of the French,” warns Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet. This dinner can look outrageous. It all depends on the critical media wave that will follow. » Certain dissonant voices have also begun to be heard. “There was a lack of real French people like a baker, a postman, a train driver who connects France to England,” said Yann Arthus-Bertrand at Parisian. It’s a bit of a shame (…) that the French don’t benefit from it even though it belongs to them too. »
At a time when inflation is reaching peaks, when purchasing power is suffering, when there have never been so many students in front of food banks, the luxury offered to the King of England and his 150 guests can “be collide with reality. “We do not have the means for such splendor,” underlines Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet.
This royal dinner was also able to remind the French of this idea “that on certain paradigms, this French Revolution, of which they are so proud, did not take place, or at least that the phantasmagoria of equality associated with this historic event ‘erase,’ Elodie Laye Mielczareck finally decides. In other words, the king is dead, long live the king and the Republic.