France, UK delay King Charles’ visit due to violent pension protests

• France and the UK agreed to postpone King Charles III’s scheduled state visit.
• The visit was delayed because of turmoil in France over plans to increase the pension age by two years.
• Protesters set Bordeaux’s town hall on fire on Thursday night, and more strikes are planned.

The French presidency said it has agreed with Britain to postpone King Charles III’s state visit because of turmoil over pension protests across France.

A Friday statement from the Élysée Palace, the official residence of French President Emmanual Macron, said on Friday that the king’s scheduled visit for March 26 to 29 will be postponed following the announcement of a new day of nationwide strikes against pension reform on March 28.

France is raising its state pension age from 62 to 64.

“This decision was taken by the French and British governments, after a telephone exchange between the President of the Republic and the King this morning, in order to be able to welcome His Majesty King Charles III under conditions that correspond with our friendly relationship,” the statement said.

It added that the visit would be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the postponement in a statement provided to Insider, adding that Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, “look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found.”

Protests in France over Macron’s plan to raise the pension age by two years have become more violent in recent days.

More than a million people protested across France on Thursday, with approximately 119,000 taking to the streets of Paris, according to interior ministry figures, BBC News reported.

French police said that more than 1,000 people acted “violently” by setting fires, smashing store windows, and launching smoke bombs, according to CNN.

Overnight on Thursday, protesters also set fire to the town hall in Bordeaux, BBC News reported. Charles was scheduled to visit the city on Tuesday.

Civil unrest in France has resulted in flight cancellations, trash piling up on streets, and schools being closed.

Major tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles, where Charles was scheduled to have a state dinner, were also closed on Thursday.

France’s interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, had initially tried to quell concerns about Charles’ trip on Thursday, saying that security would “pose no problems” for the royal visit, per BBC News.