British royals William and Kate are due
to arrive in Paris on Friday in the
prince’s first official visit to the French
capital since his mother Diana died there.
During the two-day visit, the couple will
meet survivors of the 2015 terror attack
on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris and
last year’s lorry attack in Nice as well as
President Francois Hollande.
The trip comes as William, second-in-line
to the throne, is under fire in the British
media for missing a Commonwealth
celebration to go skiing with friends.
William, 34, and Kate, 35, will be acting
as goodwill ambassadors for Britain just
as the country prepares to trigger the
formal process of leaving the European
Union.
French magazines have described their
trip, organised at the request of Britain’s
foreign ministry, as a charm offensive by
Britain designed to show its neighbour it
wants to retain close ties despite
breaking away from the EU.
Gala magazine said they were “the
glamorous card to make you forget
Brexit” — a tactic that will tested when
they travel to Germany and Poland in
July.
The royals will launch a initiative called
“Les Voisins” (The Neighbours),
celebrating relations between France and
Britain.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will
also host a black-tie dinner at the British
embassy and attend a Six Nations rugby
match between France and Wales at the
Stade de France on Saturday.
Although no official commemoration is
planned during the trip, it will be
impossible to escape the poignancy of
Diana’s eldest son visiting the city where
she died on August 31, 1997.
William was just 15 and his brother
Harry 12 when their mother and her
boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed were killed
after their Mercedes crashed in central
Paris as it was being pursued at high
speed by press photographers.
Their French chauffeur Henri Paul, who
was later found to be over the legal
blood alcohol limit, also died.
Officials say there are no plans for the
prince to visit the crash site in the Pont
de l’Alma tunnel.
– ‘To help forget Brexit’ –
William has announced he is stepping
down as an air ambulance helicopter
pilot to focus more on royal business.
But he has been attacked in some British
newspapers this week after a video
emerged of him dancing at a nightclub
during a skiing trip with friends in the
Swiss resort of Verbier.
Some commentators questioned his work
ethic after he missed a Commonwealth
ceremony attended by his grandmother
Queen Elizabeth II to go on the holiday.
The royal couple will be travelling to
Paris without their children, three-year-
old George and one-year-old Charlotte.
The Paris visit is another sign that the
princes and their father, heir-to-the-
throne Prince Charles, are taking over
official duties from the queen, who will
turn 91 on April 21.
The prince has made private visits to
Paris since his mother’s death, including
with Harry to watch England play in the
2007 rugby World Cup.
During a holiday in the south of France
in 2012, long lens photographs were
taken showing Kate topless.
The shots were published in the celebrity
magazine Closer but the royal couple
took action in the French courts to
prevent them being published around
the world.
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