charles state visit to france

King Charles’s first state visit to France includes Versailles dinner

PARIS — King Charles III began his first state visit to France on Wednesday with an itinerary that included echoes of his mother’s trips across the English Channel. But Charles is also a different sort of British monarch, and these are different times.

As Queen Elizabeth II did in her day, Charles took part in a procession through the streets of Paris, planted a tree at the British ambassador’s residence and dined at the Palace of Versailles. On Thursday, also reminiscent of his mother’s visits, his planned stops include the Paris flower market, and he is expected to demonstrate his French language competence when he addresses the Senate .

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Yet whereas Elizabeth, an avid horsewoman, liked to see stud farms in Normandy, Charles, a passionate climate advocate, will attend a roundtable on climate finance and biodiversity at the Museum of Natural History, witness the destruction in Gironde by wildfires and spend time at an organic vineyard that considers the cycles of the moon when tending its vines.

And whereas Elizabeth’s first state visit , in 1957, was a societal event — bringing hundreds of thousands of people onto sidewalks, balconies and rooftops to see the young queen driven through the streets of Paris — Charles, 74, seems to be eliciting more of a shrug.

Julie Bietry, 22, a Parisian selling ice cream in waffle cones near the Arc de Triomphe, said she first heard about the visit earlier in the day, when her boss warned her she might have trouble getting to work, with all the security in the area and Metro stations closed.

“More people are interested in Queen Elizabeth," Bietry said. “She was around my entire life. She was a big personality. Even though we are French, we know her. But the king is not as known. People don’t talk about him. He’s an old man and won’t last long, so maybe people want that distance, or maybe they just don’t care.”

This is actually take two of Charles’s state visit.

France was supposed to be his first foreign destination as king — a gesture of friendship from Britain after the rocky years of Brexit. But the original trip, planned for March, was postponed when France was convulsed in protests over a retirement age increase . The optics of hosting a king at Versailles might have presented a problem for French President Emmanuel Macron, already accused by his critics of being a monarchical figure.

King Charles III postpones first overseas visit as pension protests rock France

But now France is relatively quiet, and the trip is back on, including the Wednesday dinner in the extravagant Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Macron’s office said that the king appreciated the nod to his mother — who had dined there on her second state visit, in 1972 — and that it was an opportunity to show off one of France’s most famous sites.

The palace at sunset certainly made a spectacular backdrop. The 150-plus guests received the royal treatment: a red carpet serenading band and soldiers marching in the cobblestone courtyard. There was a bit of a stir when Mick Jagger walked in, but only from the press — the public was unable to get anywhere near the palace.

The king and Queen Camilla were the last to arrive. Unlike most guests, their car pulled up close to the entrance. They were greeted by the president and first lady Brigitte Macron, who helped adjust the queen’s navy blue cape as it blew in the warm breeze.

Quentin Peel, an associate fellow with the Europe Program at Chatham House, said Macron remains vulnerable to criticism in his role as host.

“He’s seen as distant and arrogant, and the difficult card he has to play with this visit, where here is a king coming, people might look back and say, ‘Look at Macron, he wants to be a king, just like him,’” Peel said.

Macron warned against authoritarianism. In France, he is seen as a liberal strongman.

Macron’s office emphasized that the greatest commonality between the British king and French president was an interest in climate issues. The preferred takeaway may be that Macron wants to save the planet, just like Charles.

Macron gifted the king an original edition of Romain Gary’s “ The Roots of Heaven ,” a 1956 novel about a rogue environmentalist. Charles in return gave him Voltaire’s “ Letters on the English .”

On the British government side, the hope is that the new king can sprinkle a little royal stardust and deploy the kind of soft power that Elizabeth wielded so effectively during her reign.

Relations between Britain and France plummeted after the 2016 Brexit vote. The neighbors engaged in bitter diplomatic battles over immigration, submarine contracts and fishing rights . Liz Truss didn’t help matters when, while campaigning to be British leader, she said the “jury is out” on whether Macron was a friend or a foe.

But there has been an effort to reset relations under British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who as Macron has an investment banking background. The chumminess between them has been regarded as something of a budding bromance , though tensions over immigration linger. The government is counting on Charles to further mend ties.

A new bromance? Sunak prompts hopes for improved France-U.K. ties.

“The British government’s hope is that this will help improve relations,” said Peter Ricketts, a former British ambassador to France, who was among the dinner guests at Versailles. “The French have a very special place in their hearts for the royals. I was ambassador there in 2014 when the queen came, and the outpouring of affection and respect for the queen was quite extraordinary in a republic.”

After the death last year of Elizabeth — who made five state visits and several private trips to France during her reign — Macron summed up the feelings of his nation when he said, “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was The Queen.”

That affection lingers on: Touquet-Paris-Plage, a town in northern France, said it plans to rename its airport after the late queen.

But the intensity of the sentiment may not extend to Charles, who, in Britain, too, is less beloved than his mother was.

Many of those gathered Wednesday at the metal barricades along the roads leading to the Arc de Triomphe were surprised to discover the British king was in the city.

Fernando Floeres, 31, a lawyer from Mexico, discovered Charles was in Paris after he Googled why the Champs-Élysées was closed. He said he felt some sympathy for Charles: “It’s hard to be in the shadow of your mother.”

Martin Kent, 56, a construction worker from England, said he was surprised to see Union Jack flags, “and then it clicked” that Charles was in France. Kent joked that he didn’t come to Paris to see the king. “I can see him anytime in London.” But he said he thought Charles was doing a “good job. His environmental stuff is quite good. He stands up for the old traditional ways, and I’m an old traditionalist myself.”

The first two days of the trip are taking place in Paris. After arriving Wednesday afternoon, the king attended a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, followed by a procession down the Champs-Élysées, a meeting with Macron and a stop at the British ambassador’s residence. The day concluded with the dinner at Versailles, where blue lobster, Bresse poultry and French and British cheeses were on the menu.

Charles met with sports stars at the dinner but won’t be attending the Rugby World Cup while in France. Britain has three teams in the tournament — representing England, Scotland and Wales — and it might have been tricky for the king, had he gone, to avoid appearing to favor one of them.

On Thursday, Charles will address French lawmakers and then see restoration work at Notre Dame Cathedral. When he and Macron have spoken previously about the 2019 fire at Notre Dame , the king reportedly drew a comparison to a 1992 fire at Windsor Castle.

After Notre Dame, Charles will move on to the Museum of Natural History, where French officials have previewed that there may be announcements about new funding for climate and biodiversity projects.

On Friday, the focus will pivot to Bordeaux, where Charles will visit a tramline, communities affected by wildfires and the organic vineyard.

“The queen didn’t advertise her passions — she sort of symbolized duty,” Ricketts said. But Charles’s views on the environment, and the stops that highlight that interest, make this “a new kind of state visit,” he said. “In addition to the ceremonial stuff, there’s also an extra substantive side.”

Tuesday, May 07, 2024 12:10 pm (Paris)

• United Kingdom

King Charles III to begin state visit to France on Wednesday

The visit was originally scheduled for March but got postponed because of unrest in France over President Macron's reform of the French pensions system.

Le Monde with AFP

Time to 1 min.

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Royalty fans will get a glimpse of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they descend the Champs-Elysées avenue in Paris on Wednesday, September 20, at the start of a state visit, the French presidency said Friday, September 15.

At around 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) on the opening day of the three-day trip, the royal couple, accompanied by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, will attend a ceremony in memory of World War I and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe landmark in the French capital.

Charles will then share a car, marked with the French Republic's insignia, with Macron to travel down the Champs-Elysées, as will Camilla and the French first lady, but in a separate vehicle, Macron's office said.

Charles III and Macron will then meet for a one-to-one discussion at the Elysée Palace. Topics are to include biodiversity, climate change and a November summit in Britain on artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the situation in the Sahel region of Africa and the war in Ukraine, the presidency said.

Both couples will get together in the evening for a state dinner at the Versailles Chateau on the outskirts of Paris. The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had lunch at Versailles during their first state visit to France in 1957. Charles is "appreciative of the idea to walk in his mother's footsteps", the Elysée said. The choice of Versailles, a royal residence built by French king Louis XIV now owned by the French Republic, was also an opportunity "to make France shine" through one of the country's most-visited monuments, the presidency said.

Up to 180 people will be invited to the dinner in the Hall of Mirrors – 73 meters long and adorned with 357 mirrors – that was built to illustrate Louis's absolute power and dazzle visitors. Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich will perform on the night.

On Thursday, Macron and Charles will pay a visit to the Notre-Dame cathedral, currently under restoration following a 2019 fire that destroyed its roof, and will also go to the Museum of Natural History to meet business leaders and talk about biodiversity. Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron meanwhile will present a new French-British literary prize to be awarded for the first time next year.

They will also travel to the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, home to a large ethnic minority population, and visit a center for fashion crafts founded by celebrity house Chanel in the up-and-coming 19th district of the capital. The royal couple then travels on to Bordeaux, southwest France, to conclude the visit that was originally scheduled for March but got postponed because of unrest in France over Macron's controversial reform of the French pensions system.

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King Charles visits Notre-Dame in state trip aimed at bolstering ties

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What to expect from King Charles III's state visit to France?

Issued on: 20/09/2023 - 12:18

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are kicking off a three-day state visit to France this Wednesday, a trip that begins with a ceremony at Paris's Arc de Triomphe, and ends with a tour of an organic vineyard in the southwestern city of Bordeaux. Charles had intended for France to be his first state visit as king back in March, but nationwide street protests over pension reforms forced him to delay. We know that blue lobster is on the menu for his supper tonight at the Palace of Versailles, but what's on the menu, politically speaking? In Perspective, we spoke to Andrew Smith, a historian of modern France.

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King Charles to make first state visits to France and Germany

Monarch will become first UK sovereign to address French senate and Bundestag on six-day trip

The king will make his first state visits to France and Germany , Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

King Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, will travel to Paris and continue to Berlin during a six-day visit which begins on 26 March.

The king will be the first British monarch to give a speech to senators and national assembly members from France’s senate chamber and the first to address German politicians from the Bundestag.

The king’s deputy private secretary, Chris Fitzgerald, said the visit was at the request of the British government after invitations from the French and German presidents.

“The visit will celebrate the UK’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values,” he said.

“It is also a chance to look forwards and show the many ways our countries are working in partnership, whether that be to tackle climate change, respond to the conflict in Ukraine, seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture.

“As well as speaking to the strength of the United Kingdom’s bilateral relationships with France and Germany, their majesties’ visit will include engagements highlighting the importance of sustainability and community, key themes which have been embraced by citizens of all our countries.

“There will also be opportunities to reflect on the sacrifices and challenges of our shared past, out of which has come an enduring legacy of cooperation and reconciliation.”

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What's the best state for you », macron puts trade and ukraine as top priorities as china's xi opens european visit in france.

French President Emmanuel Macron has put trade disputes and Ukraine-related diplomatic efforts at the top of the agenda for talks with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping

Macron Puts Trade and Ukraine as Top Priorities as China's Xi Opens European Visit in France

Christophe Ena

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping before their meeting at the Elysee Palace, Monday, May 6, 2024 in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming China's Xi Jinping for a two-day state visit to France and is seeking to press Xi to use his influence on Moscow to move toward ending the war in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday that focused on trade disputes — including lifting immediate tariff threats on Cognac exports — and Ukraine-related diplomatic efforts.

Xi was in France for a two-day state visit to open his European tour.

Speaking alongside Xi after their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, Macron said that France hopes China's influence on Moscow would help to move Russia toward ending the war in Ukraine .

“We welcome the Chinese authorities’ commitments to refrain from selling any weapons or aid" and to “strictly control” sales of products and technologies that can be used for both civilian and military purposes, Macron said.

China claims neutrality in the war.

“History has repeatedly proven that any conflict can ultimately be resolved only through negotiation,” Xi said. “We call on all parties to restart contact and dialogue.”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced plans to visit China this month .

Last year, Macron appealed to Xi to “bring Russia to its senses,” but the call wasn't followed by any apparent action by Beijing.

Both leaders also expressed their concerns regarding the situation in the Middle East, where Macron said France and China share the “same goals," that is “to achieve an immediate cease-fire to release hostages, protect the populations, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, encourage a regional deescalation and reopen a political perspective.”

Xi called the Israel-Hamas war a “tragedy” that is “a test of human conscience.”

"The international community must do something. We call for an immediate, comprehensive and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza," he said.

In addition, Xi expressed China's willingness to work with France "to take the Paris Olympics as an opportunity to advocate a global cease-fire and cessation of war during the Games.”

Macron advocates for making the Paris Games “a diplomatic moment of peace” and respect the Olympic Truce.

Trade issues also were at the top of the agenda as Macron denounced the trade practices of China as shoring up protections and subsidies.

Macron thanked Xi for his “openness about the provisional measures toward French Cognac." The remark came after China opened an anti-dumping investigation into Cognac and other European brandy earlier this year.

A French top diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks, said that Xi agreed not to apply tariffs in the short-term pending further investigation.

French gifts to the Chinese president on Monday included luxury bottles of Cognac. Xi reciprocated with Chinese-language editions of “Madame Bovary” and other classic French novels.

France hopes to be able to continue to export its products, including brandy and cosmetics, to the Chinese market.

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen joined both leaders for a meeting meant to address broader European Union concerns.

The EU launched an investigation last year into Chinese subsidies and could impose tariffs on electric vehicles exported from China. The 27-member bloc last month opened another inquiry into Chinese wind turbine makers.

“For trade to be fair, access to both markets needs to be reciprocal,” von der Leyen said after the meeting. “Our market is and remains open to fair competition and to investments, but it is not good for Europe if it harms our security and makes us vulnerable.”

She said that Europe “will not waver from making tough decisions needed to protect its economy and its security.”

The discussions were expected to be closely watched from Washington, a month before U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to pay his own state visit to France.

Xi’s European trip, the first in five years, seeks to rebuild relations at a time of global tensions. After France, he will head to Serbia and Hungary .

Xi's visit marks the 60th anniversary of France-China diplomatic relations, and follows Macron’s trip to China in April 2023 . Macron prompted controversy on that trip when he said that France wouldn’t blindly follow the U.S. in getting involved in crises that aren't its concern, apparently referring to China’s demands for unification with Taiwan .

Several groups — including International Campaign for Tibet and France’s Human Rights League — urged Macron to put human rights issues at the heart of his talks with Xi. Protesters demonstrated in Paris as Xi arrived on Sunday, calling for a free Tibet .

Amnesty International called on Macron to demand the release of Uyghur economics professor Ilham Tohti , who was jailed in China for life in 2014 on charges of promoting separatism, and other imprisoned activists.

On Monday, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders staged a protest in front of the Arc de Triomphe monument to denounce Xi's visit, calling the Chinese president “one of the greatest predators of press freedom.” The group says 119 journalists are imprisoned in the country.

Macron said in an interview published Sunday that he would raise human rights concerns. He didn't mention the issue in his public comments Monday.

The second day of the visit is meant to be more personal. Macron has invited Xi to visit the Tourmalet Pass in the Pyrenees mountains, where the French leader spent time as a child to see his grandmother. The trip is meant to be a reciprocal gesture after Xi took Macron last year to the residence of the governor of Guangdong province, where his father once lived.

Barbara Surk in Nice, Angela Charlton in Paris and Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this story.

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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King Charles will go on a hiking vacation in Romania

K ing Charles III's (74) first trip abroad since his coronation will reportedly be a walking vacation in Romania. According to 'The Sun' the British monarch will fly to the country, where he owns at least ten properties, in June.

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis (63) will officially welcome King Charles to his official residence, Cotroceni Castle in the capital Bucharest, according to reports. However, according to the report, the trip will largely be a short vacation. Queen Camilla (75) is reportedly not going.

Regular visits to Romania

Charles often visits Romania, in the months of May or June, according to the Sun. He reportedly enjoys hiking or painting near, his home in Viscri, a town in Brasov County in the Transylvania region. According to the report, he once said of the countryside in Romania, "There is a sense of ancient continuity here. A positive cycle where man and nature are in balance." There is reportedly no radio or television in his home there.

After the coronation, on May 6, King Charles and Queen Camilla took a few days off in Sandringham, Norfolk. This year, according to British media reports, the royal couple still has an official joint trip to Kenya. According to the 'Daily Mail', he is expected to travel to the East African country to make the Commonwealth an even greater focus of his reign. It is said to be a milestone for his political orientation.

A state visit by Charles and Camilla to France, postponed in the spring, is also expected to be made up in the summer. For the first time in 45 years, The Sun reported, the monarch is said to have canceled his annual ski trip to the Swiss Alps in March because he feared he might injure himself before the coronation.

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On D-Day, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life, and save as many as he could

D-Day veteran Charles Shay is about to take part in next month’s ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. Then a 19-year-old army medic, the Native American was ready to give his life, but also sought to save as many as he could. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace.

FILE — WWII veteran Charles Shay, pays tribute to soldiers during a D-Day commemoration ceremony of the 78th anniversary for those who helped end World War II, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Monday, June 6, 2022. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/ Jeremias Gonzalez, File)

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WWII veteran Charles Shay, is pictured at his home Sunday, March 24, 2024 in Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, Normandy. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Schaeffer)

FILE - WWII veteran Charles Shay, 97, right, and Gulf war veteran Julia Kelly pay tribute to soldiers during a D-Day commemoration ceremony of the 78th anniversary for those who helped end World War II, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, Monday, June 6, 2022. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation.(AP Photo/ Jeremias Gonzalez, File)

FILE - U.S. reinforcements wade through the surf from a landing craft in the days following D-Day and the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at Normandy in June 1944 during World War II. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (Bert Brandt/Pool via AP, File)

U.S. Army medical personnel administer a plasma transfusion to a wounded comrade, who survived when his landing craft went down off the coast of Normandy, France, in the early days of the Allied landing operations in June 1944. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo, File)

Men of the American assault troops of the 16th Infantry Regiment, injured while storming a coastal area code-named Omaha Beach during the Allied invasion of the Normandy, wait by the chalk cliffs at Collville-sur-Mer for evacuation to a field hospital for further treatment, June 6, 1944. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo, File)

People walk on Omaha beach at sunset, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A girl watches the monument called Signal, dedicated to the American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, on Omaha Beach at sunset, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

A man walks on Gold beach in Arromanches, Normandy, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. In the background are the remains of the artificial harbor of Arromanches. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

This photo taken on Wednesday April 10, 2024, shows crosses of the US cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The sun rises on Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The sun rises on the US cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Students walk by a bunker in Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The monument called Les Braves, dedicated to the American soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, is seen on Omaha Beach at sunset, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

People walk by a bunker in Longues-sur-Mer, Normandy, Thursday, April 11, 2024. On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old Native American army medic who was ready to give his life — and actually saved many. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th celebrations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

BRETTEVILLE-L’ORGUEILLEUSE, France (AP) — On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic who was ready to give his life — and save as many as he could.

Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th anniversary commemorations of the landings in Normandy that led to the liberation of France and Europe from Nazi Germany occupation.

“I guess I was prepared to give my life if I had to. Fortunately, I did not have to,” Shay said in an interview with The Associated Press.

A Penobscot tribe citizen from Indian Island in the U.S. state of Maine, Shay has been living in France since 2018, not far from the shores of Normandy where many world leaders are expected to come next month. Solemn ceremonies will be honoring the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations who landed on June 6, 1944.

AP AUDIO: On D-Day, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life, and save as many as he could

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports on a veteran’s memories of D-Day ahead of the 80th anniversary.

Nothing could have prepared Shay for what happened that morning on Omaha Beach: bleeding soldiers, body parts and corpses strewn around him, machine-gun fire and shells filling the air.

“I had been given a job, and the way I looked at it, it was up to me to complete my job,” he recalled. “I did not have time to worry about my situation of being there and perhaps losing my life. There was no time for this.”

Shay was awarded the Silver Star for repeatedly plunging into the sea and carrying critically wounded soldiers to relative safety, saving them from drowning. He also received France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, in 2007.

Still, Shay could not save his good friend, Pvt. Edward Morozewicz. The sad memory remains vivid in his mind as he describes seeing his 22-year-old comrade lying on the beach with a serious stomach wound.

“He had a wound that I could not help him with because I did not have the proper instruments ... He was bleeding to death. And I knew that he was dying. I tried to comfort him. And I tried to do what I could for him, but there was no help,” he said. “And while I was treating him, he died in my arms.”

“I lost many close friends,” he added.

A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, including 2,501 Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded.

Shay survived. At night, exhausted, he eventually fell asleep in a grove above the beach.

“When I woke up in the morning. It was like I was sleeping in a graveyard because there were dead Americans and Germans surrounding me,” he recalled. “I stayed there for not very long and I continued on my way.”

Shay then pursued his mission in Normandy for several weeks, rescuing those wounded, before heading with American troops to eastern France and Germany, where he was taken prisoner in March 1945 and liberated a few weeks later.

After World War II, Shay reenlisted in the military because the situation of Native Americans in his home state of Maine was too precarious due to poverty and discrimination.

“I tried to cope with the situation of not having enough work or not being able to help support my mother and father. Well, there was just no chance for young American Indian boys to gain proper labor and earn a good job,” he said.

Maine would not allow individuals living on Native American reservations to vote until 1954.

Shay continued to witness history — returning to combat as a medic during the Korean War, participating in U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands and later working at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria.

For over 60 years, he did not talk about his WWII experience.

But he began attending D-Day commemorations in 2007 and in recent years, he has seized many occasions to give his powerful testimony. A book about his life, “Spirits are guiding” by author Marie-Pascale Legrand, is about to be released this month.

In 2018, he moved from Maine to Bretteville-l’Orgueilleuse, a French small town in the Normandy region to stay at a friend’s home.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, coming from his nearby home, he was among the few veterans able to attend commemorations. He stood up for all others who could not make the trip amid restrictions.

Shay also used to lead a Native American ritual each year on D-Day, burning sage in homage to those who died. In 2022, he handed over the remembrance task to another Native American, Julia Kelly, a Gulf War veteran from the Crow tribe, who since has performed the ritual in his presence.

The Charles Shay Memorial on Omaha Beach pays tribute to the 175 Native Americans who landed there on D-Day.

Often, Shay expressed his sadness at seeing wars still waging in the world and what he considers the senseless loss of lives.

Shay said he had hoped D-Day would bring global peace. “But it has not, because you see that we go from one war to the next. There will always be wars. People and nations cannot get along with each other.”