Britain’s King Charles III has said that he will do everything within his power to strengthen the collaboration between France and the United Kingdom in the fight to tackle the climate crisis.
“For the time that is granted to me as king, I pledge to do whatever I can to strengthen the indispensable relationship between the United Kingdom and France,” he told the French Senate while presenting his keynote address on the second day of a three-day visit on Thursday.
During his visit, the King also suggested that Paris and London should team up to tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies with a new version of the 1904 Entente Cordiale pact, which sealed the friendship between the two nations.
“I would like to propose it also becomes an ‘Entente pour la Durabilite’ [Partnership for Sustainability] in order to tackle the global climate and biodiversity emergency more effectively,” Charles told lawmakers in the upper chamber of the French Parliament.
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Charles issued a similar call for France and the UK to reinvigorate their relations in comments echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron at a lavish state banquet held at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening.
It is “incumbent upon us all to reinvigorate our friendship to ensure it is fit for the challenge of this, the 21st century”, Charles said.
In his response, France President, Emmanuel Macron said: “Despite Brexit, … I know, your majesty, that we will continue to write part of the future of our continent together to meet the challenges and to serve the causes we have in common.”
The British monarch also visited the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis – home to the French national stadium used for the Rugby World Cup and the Olympics next year – where he saw residents and sports stars.
Story was adapted from Aljazeera.
