French audit cautions Élysée over €475k cost of King Charles dinner

The French president’s office spent nearly €475,000 (£400,100) on a dinner for King Charles last year, the country’s top audit court said in a report cautioning about high spending.

In September 2023, King Charles attended a lavish state banquet at the Palace of Versailles attended by more than 150 people, part of a “soft power” visit aimed at improving ties between London and Paris.

The guests dined on lobster and crab, French poultry marinaded in champagne and a gratin of French ceps (a wild mushroom). Vintage wines and champagnes were on offer, while the dessert was a French macaron with lychee and rose sorbet and raspberry compote.

According to the new French audit report, previously reported by Politico, the dinner cost a total of €474,851. Of this amount, €166,193 was spent on catering and €42,515 on drinks.

At the dinner, King Charles told Macron that “your generosity of spirit brings to mind how my family and I were so greatly moved by the tributes paid in France to my mother, the late queen”.

The French president, meanwhile, said in his toast that “despite Brexit, and because our ties are so old, I know that we will continue to write together part of our continent’s history”.

The audit report also noted that the president’s office spent €412,366 on a dinner for the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, at the Louvre museum, of which €172,922 was on catering and €36,447 on drinks.

The report warned about the presidential office’s spending levels. Expenses stood at €125.5m for 2023, with a deficit of €8.3m.

“Significant efforts must be undertaken from 2024 in order to restore and sustain the financial balance of the presidency,” the audit said.