00:00 I'm extremely touched by your numerous presence here today.
00:10 The longevity of your democracy is also reflected in the long-standing friendship that binds
00:20 our nations and peoples.
00:23 Our partnership is built on a shared experience and remains absolutely vital, whereas together
00:33 we are addressing the challenges of this world.
00:36 Quite simply, the United Kingdom will always be one of the closest and best allies and
00:45 friend of France.
00:49 Last year, my wife and I began our visit at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we
00:58 commemorated all those who failed to defend the freedom so dear to our two countries.
01:08 At the heart of this great nation, we paid a silent and supportive tribute, standing
01:19 up side by side as our two countries have been so often, side by side in history.
01:28 At the Arc de Triomphe, 16 months ago, that with characteristic generosity of spirit,
01:35 you marked the platinum jubilee of my beloved mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
01:42 On that occasion, President Macron described her late majesty as the golden thread that
01:49 binds our nations.
01:56 When my mother passed away last year, my family and I were extremely moved by the tributes
02:07 that were paid to her throughout France.
02:11 This morning, I read through the very touching words of condolence that Your Excellency,
02:19 Speaker of the National Parliament and President of the Senate, wrote on that occasion.
02:27 You described her late majesty as embodied with dignity the permanence of British democracy
02:36 and that she loved France and France loved her.
02:43 I cannot describe to you what those words meant to me and my family.
02:50 I can only thank you and thank the people of France for the great kindness you expressed
03:02 to us and to our people at a moment of such sadness.
03:12 In the rich and complex tapestry of the relationship between France and the United Kingdom, the
03:20 golden thread that my mother represented will shine forever.
03:28 I wish that she can inspire us to continue to weave ties between our two countries with
03:37 determination, hope and love.
03:41 Ladies and gentlemen, inspired and encouraged by my grandmother's and my late mother's
03:47 example, France has been an essential part of the fabric of my own life for as long as
03:55 I can remember.
03:56 Indeed, as I have been astonished to discover, this is my 35th official visit to France.
04:06 Each and every time I have been struck by the warmth of the welcome I have always received
04:12 and by the immense good that can be accomplished when France and the United Kingdom work together.
04:20 Now on the occasion of my first state visit to France, my belief in the indispensable
04:27 relationship between our countries is as firm as it ever has been.
04:35 Today in confronting the greatest challenges of our time, we continue the work of those
04:42 who came before us.
04:45 When General de Gaulle spoke to the French people from London in June of 1940, he said,
04:52 "Remember this, France does not stand alone.
04:57 She is not isolated.
04:59 She can make common cause with the British."
05:01 De Gaulle's confidence in our alliance was well-founded.
05:10 Two days before the Appel du 18 Juin, Sir Winston Churchill's government had offered
05:16 France an indissoluble political union which would have allowed our two peoples to continue
05:23 the fight for justice and freedom as a single country.
05:28 Just two months after that historic broadcast, my grandfather, King George VI, proudly wearing
05:36 the crimson ribbon of the LĂ©gion d'honneur, joined de Gaulle at Morville Camp near Aldershot
05:43 to inspect 2,500 of the free French troops.
05:50 The common determination expressed that day sustained us through the long and bitter years
05:58 of that war and drove us forward together to victory.
06:03 Cette éclatante illustration de notre engagement envers la liberté et la démocratie reste
06:12 d'actualité.
06:13 Aujourd'hui, nos forces armées s'entraînent ensemble au sein de la force expéditionnaire
06:21 conjointe franco-britannique, se déploient ensemble avec les troupes de maintien de la
06:29 paix de l'ONU et par le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU, le G7 et l'OTAN assument ensemble
06:43 a joint responsibility for European and global security.
06:48 Today, over 80 years since we fought side by side for the liberation of Europe, once
07:00 again we are facing an unjustified aggression on our continent.
07:08 Our determination and alliance are more important than ever.
07:18 Together we stand at the side of the Ukrainian people with resolute solidarity.
07:28 Together we are unshakeable in our determination that Ukraine will triumph and that our freedoms
07:37 that are so dear will prevail.
07:47 Just as we stand together against military aggression, so must we strive together to
07:53 protect the world from our most existential challenge of all, that of global warming,
08:01 climate change and the catastrophic destruction of nature.
08:07 Jacques-Yves Cousteau a dit si sagement, "Pour la meilleure partie de l'histoire, l'homme
08:15 a dĂ» combattre la nature pour se vivre."
08:22 In this century, he is beginning to understand that in order to survive, he must protect
08:30 it.
08:31 This vision remains even more relevant in this 21st century in spite of the scale and
08:41 severity of the challenge faced by our planet.
08:47 It's encouraging to see the measures taken by our governments, our citizens and increasingly
08:53 by the private sector.
08:55 For a long time I have believed that our companies can play an essential role.
09:03 They're working in partnership and harmony with our governments and people and invest
09:11 billions in order to develop solutions which will allow a successful transition to a sustainable
09:20 world.
09:22 Together with President Macron, this afternoon I'll be meeting French and British business
09:29 leaders whose cooperation, innovation and investment in clean growth and the preservation
09:39 of our precious biodiversity are part of an essential global leadership effort.
09:49 I've considered the opportunities shared by Commonwealth members and the International
09:58 Organization of Francophonie.
10:01 I strongly hope there will be opportunities for future collaboration, for example to find
10:09 a way of strengthening sustainable development cooperation.
10:15 Ladies and gentlemen, our two governments are working in partnership to address so many
10:21 global challenges and yet as ever it is our people who are the true driving force of our
10:29 relationship.
10:31 Our friendship and warm familiarity are fortified by each new connection between us.
10:40 It is renewed by each newfound joy in the culture of the other and each reminder of
10:47 how much we share.
10:51 Tens of us visit each other's countries every year, a joy that we are now rediscovering
10:58 after the disruption wrought by the pandemic.
11:02 Tens of thousands of British rugby fans are currently following their national team around
11:10 France enjoying the fantastic spectacle of the Rugby World Cup, my son and daughter-in-law
11:17 among them.
11:20 Even when our national teams are drawn up on opposite ends of the pitch, they do so
11:26 with mutual admiration and a shared commitment to the rules of the game, on which I will
11:33 say only pas de couple et que le meilleur gagne.
11:50 And of course hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens have chosen to live their
11:55 lives permanently in each other's countries.
11:58 This vibrant exchange between our people makes us immeasurably stronger, happier and more
12:05 prosperous.
12:06 Nos artistes continuent de s'inspirer les uns des autres comme ils l'ont toujours fait,
12:14 mêlant l'ancien et le nouveau et créant des oeuvres complexes et enrichissantes.
12:23 Des inoubliables images de Londres de Claude Monet et de Brienne Londonienne qui fascinèrent
12:31 les visiteurs français.
12:32 Au plus récent, la façon de faire son Ipad, David Hockney, des paysages enjeux de Normandie.
12:42 And the novel cooperation between the British designer Paul Smith and the Picasso Museum
12:53 in Paris.
12:54 There is a universality in our shared artistic traditions.
13:01 Indeed, as I speak, my dear wife is celebrating this artistic cooperation by launching the
13:12 first Franco-British literary prize, rewarding outstanding works of fiction published in
13:21 French and English at the extraordinary French National Library.
13:27 My wife and I will visit Bordeaux, the first city to be twinned with a British city, Bristol,
13:34 in 1947.
13:37 This shared link is just one of a countless number of connections between our towns and
13:43 cities, our communities, our businesses and our educational establishments.
13:50 It is our people, through all that they do together, who are writing each new chapter
13:56 of our history, so that a more secure, more prosperous world might be the inheritance
14:02 of the next generation.
14:06 My young people must, therefore, be at the heart of our shared endeavours.
14:16 So this morning, I'm delighted to be able to join with young people of the 19th district
14:25 of Paris and Saint-Denis, helped in their professional efforts by supporting young people.
14:36 We are investing in our future, an investment that will be reimbursed several times over.
14:46 Mr President, Madam Speaker, Senators, Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of Parliament, almost
14:59 120 years ago, my great-grandfather, King Edward VII, committed in the name of the United
15:10 Kingdom the Entente Cordiale and the ties between our two countries.
15:16 This tie was sanctified by the incredible sacrifices of the last century and carried
15:27 forward by every example of our common endeavour.
15:30 Today it is in our hands, having been passed on with pride from father to son and mother
15:40 to daughter, as it was down through the generations of my own family.
15:49 During the time accorded to me as King, I pledged to do everything in my power in order
15:58 to strengthen the indispensable relationship between the United Kingdom and France.
16:06 And today I invite you to join me in this effort.
16:13 Together our potential is limitless.
16:20 That is why we must cherish and nurture our Entente Cordiale.
16:28 Let's renew it for future generations so that it might become, I propose also, a
16:36 new Entente for sustainability to more effectively respond to the global emergency in terms of
16:47 the climate and diversity, a commitment to one another and to the values that we share
16:55 so proudly, a commitment inspired by the examples of the past and encouraging us to address
17:04 the huge challenges of the world around us.
17:10 As neighbour, friend, partner and ally, there is no challenge that we cannot meet, as we
17:20 have done so often in the past.
17:25 Let us go forward with hope and courage and let us do that together.
17:32 Thank you.
17:39 (Applause.)
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