Do the French regret the monarchy? Or does the very Anglophile Emmanuel Macron consider himself a kind of monarch? One is amazed when one sees the pomp with which the French government of Charles III. and his wife received.
We almost forget that the French supported Louis XVI. cut his neck.
The King of the English was received at Versailles in the restored splendor of the Hall of Mirrors.
It must be remembered that the French nobility and clergy were overthrown because they shamelessly monopolized the country’s wealth. At Versailles, the king’s bedroom alone would still be enough to comfortably accommodate at least two families due to its volume. During this time, people lacked bread and the priests alleviated their suffering by promising them paradise after death.
Disgusting
In 2023, it is deeply repulsive to see the president of one of the first republics of modern times making Salamalecs a king. Inviting him to Versailles is even worse. The King of England should have been content with the Élysée and Macron should have reserved Versailles for the British Prime Minister.
I know these are symbols that flatter the British. The monarchy is still a dream, as the Disney company well understands.
But I find that these symbols become annoying. A large part of the French population has difficulty finding housing. Because food is slowly becoming very expensive for the French. Because Charlot III and his lover are rather hated. Because Macron and some of the elites surrounding him do not seem to understand the state in which France finds itself.
Yesterday, during the state dinner at Versailles, there was a kind of end-of-reign smell in the air.
The ego of kings and dictators
In our democracies, major honors should be reserved for the heads of state of other democratic countries. Why flatter the egos of kings and dictators?
We also learn that Xi Jinping is offended at being called a dictator by the German Foreign Minister. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, such statements about Xi would be “extremely absurd and (…) a serious attack on China’s political dignity and an open political provocation.”
No, but seriously, we shouldn’t say Xi is a dictator to avoid hurting him? It is a submission to the dictates of the Chinese president, which is undignified, absurd and provocative.
If we look at Charles III. coming back, we can understand that the French government wants to highlight the relationship between France and the United Kingdom.
But royalty remains the symbol of an unjust order that gives rise to revolutions. When the leaders of a democracy treat a monarch with such consideration, they betray the democratic ideal.
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