Versailles,
what else
?
This evening, the President of the Republic receives His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, at the Palace of Versailles, a place of power, history and demonstration.
Around a hundred guests are expected, including Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, the Ministers of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, and of the Armies, Sébastien Lecornu, or the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak.
On the menu for this state visit, "climate change, space exploration, energy and security", but also a link with the Louvre Abu Dhabi, with which France is linked until 2047.
Emmanuel Macron has often organized meetings or summits in Versailles, including the very last meeting of foreign business leaders, on July 11.
But this state dinner, very formal, is the second of its kind organized under his mandate in the den of the Sun King.
In January 2018, the president had already received the crown prince of Japan, Naruhito.
Before the agapes, concocted by chef Alain Ducasse, from the Nô theater, mixing 3D and tradition, had been given at the Versailles opera house.
For the Japanese host, the tables had been set in the upper vestibule of the royal chapel.
In January 2018, the president had already received the crown prince of Japan, Naruhito, in Versailles.
Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP
This evening, everyone is expected in the Grand Trianon, a small pink marble palace built under Louis XIV by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
With its main courtyard, its French gardens and its ponds, the ensemble embodies a certain idea of the grandeur of France.
In the 1960s, four years of work had made it possible to modernize the building: the Trianon was notably equipped with a large kitchen - which will not be used this evening, since it is out of order - bathrooms and phones.
All rooms have been refurnished in Empire style.
Until the 1990s, the Grand Trianon often served as a place of residence for distinguished guests from France or foreign heads of state on official visits.
We welcomed the Kennedys, Baudouin, King of the Belgians, the King of Morocco Hassan II, the Queen of England Elizabeth II or King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
Among the first guests of the new President Emmanuel Macron, in May 2017, Vladimir Poutine also invited to Versailles.
STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL / AFP
There is no longer any question of sleeping there.
But the set back position of the Grand Trianon, located within the park, gives it a mixture of splendor and charm.
In 2014, François Hollande had chosen this place for dinner, in a very small committee, with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and his wife.
In May 2017, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Poutine had "replayed" the invitation given by Louis XV to Tsar Peter the Great, in 1717. Versailles, or the eternal restart.
Of course, the two Heads of State then posed in the Galerie des Batailles, located in the South wing of the castle.
A long room (120 meters long, 13 wide), it was inaugurated by Louis Philippe in 1837. It brings together thirty-three paintings representing the great battles that have marked national history, from the victory of Clovis at Tolbiac to to that of Napoleon in Wagram, in 1809, and allows any President of the Republic to be part of the glorious past of France.
