An extravagant feast for King Charles has cost the French government a whopping $500,000 million (Rs 4 crore), an audit report has found.
President Emmanuel Macron's office planned a lavish spread during the monarch's visit in September last year. The grand state banquet held at the Palace of Versailles was attended by over 150 people as part of an attempt to boost a key alliance between the UK and France.
The event was a star-studded affair with actor Hugh Grant, football manager Arsene Wenger and Rolling Stone's Mick Jagger among those in attendance.
On the menu were blue lobster (a rare French delicacy), crab, poultry marinaded in champagne and a gratin of French mushrooms.
An assortment of vintage wines, champagnes and a selection of international cheeses were on offer. For dessert, French macaroons with lychee, rose sorbet and raspberry compote were served.
In its annual report, the French auditing organisation Cour des Comptes warned that spending on state receptions had left the budget nearly $9 million in the red.
According to the new audit report, the whole dinner cost a total of $513,000 of which $179,000 was spent on food and $46,000 on drinks.
Speaking at the banquet, King Charles said President Macron's "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”.
However, this was not the only lavish state dinner organised by the French government. In 2023, the president's office spent $446,000 on a dinner for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Louvre museum.
