King Charles and Queen Camilla met by hundreds of cheering fans waving French and Union flags in Bordeaux
The couple attended a reception onboard the Royal Navy frigate, HMS Iron Duke, before visiting a food and drink festival and a local vineyard.
Friday 22 September 2023 17:50, UK
The King and Queen were greeted by cheering crowds as they arrived in Bordeaux to wind up their whistle-stop tour of France.
The royal couple left Paris and arrived in the southwestern city on Friday, where they were met by locals waving French and Union flags.
As the King and Queen shook hands with fans outside the Hotel de Ville, some shouted "God save the King".
The Queen was handed a bouquet of flowers after she and the King greeted hundreds of well-wishers on their way to the town hall.
The royals arrived in Bordeaux by jet and were greeted by the French minister of defence, Sebastien Lecornu.
They then went to meet the Bordeaux mayor, Pierre Hurmic, along with his counterpart in Bristol, Marvin Rees, as the two cities are twinned.
When the group went out into the garden to plant a loquat leaf oak tree, the King giggled as the Queen poured water on the plant, saying "very good".
They were also shown pictures of the King's time in Bordeaux in 1977 when he was Prince of Wales, as well as the late Queen Elizabeth II's visit in 1992.
A reception was then held onboard the Royal Navy frigate, HMS Iron Duke, where the entourage could be seen huddling under an umbrella.
The royals then got on a tram to head to their next engagement in the main square where they met British and French business owners.
While there the King enjoyed a glass of local wine and whisky made from his own barley at Highgrove.
Hughes Roberts-Baby, head of sales at Cotswolds whisky said His Majesty "loved it".
The King also spotted another whisky bottle, remarking: "I know Old Pulteney - that's very good."
A few minutes later he also tried a glass of St Ferdinand Source Lussac-Saint Emilion.
The King left with some cheese, which was wrapped up for him.
He was also serenaded with a hymn by members of the Fiji rugby team who were at the event having participated in the World Cup being held in France.
After the tour of Bordeaux, the couple headed to a nearby sustainable vineyard where they heard about the effects of climate change.
The visit to Bordeaux was a diversion from their original itinerary, following leaks in the French media about their plans.
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Earlier in their three-day trip, the couple spent two days in the French capital, where the King became the first British monarch to speak in the French senate chamber.
In his historic address to the French Parliament, the King described the "shared link" between London and Paris and the "countless number of connections" between the two countries.
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President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte then hosted the royals with a lavish state banquet.
The Queen also played a game of table tennis with the French president's spouse.