King Charles France visit could have had echoes of 1789, says ex-ambassador

Grandeur of royal couple's state visit amid protests would have been bad idea' and it was right to postpone it, Lord Ricketts says

King Charles' state visit to France and a banquet at the Palace of Versailles could have had echoes" of the French Revolution, according to former British ambassador to France.

Lord Ricketts, who was Britain's man in France from 2012 to 2016, said that the dinner would have been poorly timed during widespread protests against the French president, Emmanuel Macron's, plans to reform pensions and raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.