A lavish lobster dinner for King Charles III value the French president’s workplace €475,000 (£400,000), in line with the nation’s audit workplace.
President Emmanuel Macron pulled out all of the stops for the monarch’s go to in September – with guests being treated to blue lobster, crab and an assortment of cheeses.
However in its annual report of the presidential accounts, the Cour des Comptes warned that increased spending on state receptions had contributed to leaving their finances €8.3m within the crimson.
And it says the Elysée now must make “vital efforts… to revive and maintain the monetary steadiness of the monetary steadiness of the presidency”.
Of the cash spent on the dinner, over €165,000 was on catering, with one other €40,000 on drinks.
Company on the star-studded banquet – which included actor Hugh Grant, soccer supervisor Arsene Wenger and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger – had been handled to a menu of blue lobster and crab adopted by Bresse poultry and mushroom gratin.
There was additionally a course of cheeses – together with French Comté and British Stichelton blue.
And for dessert they had been served a rose macaroon cookie, composed of rose petal cream, raspberries and lychees.
The extravagant banquet on the Palace of Versailles was a part of King Charles’ three-day state go to to France, aimed toward reinforcing a key alliance between the 2 nations.
It had been initially scheduled for March, however was postponed after widespread protests over pension reform hit main cities.
The King’s go to is just not the one one cited within the report, with a July 2023 banquet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Louvre – which value the presidential workplace €412,000 – additionally talked about.
On account of increased spending, together with on these state receptions, expenditure elevated by 14% on the earlier yr, the audit workplace mentioned.
That in comparison with solely a 6.5% acquire in income earned by the presidency.
