00:00 [Applause]
00:17 [French]
00:28 President of the Senate, Speaker of the Lower House,
00:31 dear Senators, dear members of the Lower House,
00:37 thank you a thousand times over for your very moving messages.
00:49 I am flattered to have been invited here by the presidents of the two chambers
00:57 to speak here at this illustrious setting which can be seen as the upper house of French Parliament since 1789.
01:14 Your long-lived democracy can be seen in the long friendship
01:22 which brings our nations and peoples together.
01:27 Our partnership is built on shared experience and it is of vital importance as we face the challenges of the world.
01:41 Quite simply, the United Kingdom shall always be one of the closest allies and one of the best friends of France.
01:51 Yesterday, my wife and I started our visit at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
02:01 There we commemorated all those who died to defend the freedom which is so dear to our two countries.
02:11 At the heart of this great nation, we paid silent tribute, standing together in solidarity, side by side with you,
02:22 as our countries stood side by side so often in the past.
02:28 I was reminded that it was there at the Arc de Triomphe 16 months ago
02:34 that with characteristic generosity of spirit, you marked the platinum jubilee of my beloved mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
02:44 On that occasion, President Macron described Her Late Majesty as the golden thread that binds our nations.
02:54 Today, more than 80 years after we were fighting side by side for the liberation of Europe,
03:08 we are once again up against an unjustified attack on our continent.
03:15 Our determination and our alliance are more important than ever.
03:24 Together, we shall stand by the people of Ukraine with determined solidarity.
03:31 Together, we shall not move. Our determination shall not be moved.
03:39 Ukraine will triumph and our cherished freedom will prevail.
03:47 Just as we stand together against military aggression, so must we strive together to protect the world
03:56 from our most existential challenge of all, that of global warming, climate change and the catastrophic destruction of nature.
04:06 For the time that I shall be granted to rule as King, I give a commitment to do everything I can,
04:18 everything in my power to strengthen the essential relationship between the United Kingdom and France.
04:26 And today, I would urge you to join me in this effort.
04:33 Together, our potential is boundless.
04:39 That is why we must cherish and maintain our Entente Cordiale.
04:46 We must renew it for future generations so that it becomes, as I would suggest,
04:54 it also becomes an Entente for sustainability so that we can have a more effective response
05:03 to the emergency situation for climate and biodiversity around the world.
05:09 We have a commitment to one another and a commitment to the values which we share with such pride.
05:16 It is a commitment inspired by the example of the past and which we are encouraged to take on the huge challenges of the world around us now.
05:28 As neighbours, as friends, as partners and as allies, there is no challenge that we cannot take on,
05:39 as we have taken on challenges so often in the past.
05:43 Let us move ahead with hope and courage, and let us do it together.
05:51 Thank you.
05:54 (Applause)
05:59 (Applause)
06:03 (Applause)
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