London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 14, 2025

Protesters’ threats toward King ‘convinced Macron to halt royal visit’

Protesters’ threats toward King ‘convinced Macron to halt royal visit’

Macabre messages scrawled by rioters part of decision by Emmanuel Macron to postpone visit

Threats including the words “Death to the King” convinced Emmanuel Macron to halt a Royal State Visit to France by Charles III, it emerged on Friday night.

The macabre message was on Friday being used by protesters rioting against President Macron’s decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

There have been nightly riots, and they were set to intensify if – as planned – the King had arrived in Paris on Sunday.


“I think it would not be responsible and would lack some common sense if we invited His Majesty the King and the Queen Consort for a state visit in the midst of the demonstrations,” Mr Macron said on Friday.

“So, out of friendship, respect and esteem for His Majesty the King and Queen Consort, and for the British people, I took the initiative this morning to call and tell him what the situation was.”

Senior politicians including Mr Macron had received threats evoking the guillotine used to execute Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette – the last rightful King and Queen of France.

The words “Death to the King” had even appeared in bright red graffiti on Place de la Concorde – the central Paris square where Louis and his wife were killed.


Another scrawled message read “Charles III do you know the guillotine?”

The French feared the security of King Charles could not be guaranteed “because of his interest in mingling with crowds,” according to security sources.

A crack team of officers from the SDLP Protection Service unit rigorously studied the monarch’s profile.

“They became aware of the King’s habit of impromptu handshakes, and talking to ordinary people whenever he could,” said a source who was involved in the planning of four-days of events.

“There are huge social tensions in France, and there is no doubt that such good manners could have been very dangerous indeed.”

The development was a major humiliation for Mr Macron, especially as a visit to Germany by the Royal couple next week will go ahead as planned.

Eric Ciotti, leader of the opposition Republicans party in France, said the chaotic security situation was a national embarrassment.

“The visit of Charles III is cancelled by the government due to social unrest,” said Mr Ciotti.

“What an image for our country, which is not even able to ensure the security of a head of state”.

Referring to Mr Macron as a “republican monarch”, Left-Wing firebrand MP and former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon said he was “delighted to see the meeting of kings at Versailles broken up by popular censorship”.

Raquel Garrido, another member of the hard Left’s Nupes parliamentary coalition, said she hoped Mr Macron would now resign, saying: “Two kings were set to meet at Versailles – one down, one to go.”

And Manuel Bompard, of the Party of the Left, said: “This shows the fragility of Emmanuel Macron as head of state.

“Charles III has backed down, now we hope Macron will back down too.”

Others pointed to how Mr Macron had been prepared to meet a foreign king, but not trade unionists battling to reverse his pension reform.

Nupes MP Alexis Corbière said: “Since he’s no longer hosting the King of England , Charles III, perhaps Macron can host the trade unions?”

Green Party MP Sandrine Rousseau, who had called for the cancellation of the state visit, said: “It’s good that it’s been postponed, it was madness to make this visit in the middle of a social conflict of historic proportions.

“To go and eat at Versailles, to drive down te Champs-Élysées – nothing was going to go well. The protesters were not going to roll out the red carpet for the king.”

Mr Macron said he would attend Charles’s Coronation in London in May, and suggested the new date for the King’s visit to France would be in the ‘early summer’.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “The King and the Queen Consort’s state visit to France has been postponed.

“Their majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
×