Protests in France have led to growing concern at Buckingham Palace for the safety of the British monarch. The Paris police chief said there would be no disruptions, but two leftist politicians urged Charles III to postpone the state visit because of social unrest.

Protests against pension reforms pushed through without a parliamentary vote continue in France, raising doubts about the visit of the British monarch scheduled to start on 26 March. Buckingham Palace is worried about King Charles’s visit amidst protests that show no sign of abating. In this context, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez stressed that he was completely relaxed about the arrival of the British royalty on Sunday, however, two opposition politicians, leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and the Green’s Sandrine Rousseau, believe that the social upheavals make this a bad time for Charles III to visit France.

Mr Melenchon, the leader of the leftist election alliance NUPES, has objected to the fact that Charles III will be hosted at the Palace of Versailles, while Sandrine Rousseau, in an interview with BFMTV, said that it was unbelievable and unacceptable that Emmanuel Macron would meet with the British monarch while people were protesting in the streets.The green party politician said that the behaviour of the French president is a total denial of democracy and went as far as to call on Charles III to cancel his trip to Paris.

💬”On va avoir Emmanuel Macron, le monarque républicain, qui va recevoir Charles III, pendant que le peuple est en train de manifester”

➡ @sandrousseau, députée EELV de Paris pic.twitter.com/WaTKaGqrKC

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 22, 2023

Press reports say that the trade unions protesting against the pension reforms are contemplating causing disturbances at the venues of the British monarchs’s official programmes, so they may have to be altered. Buckingham Palace has not yet announced any changes to the King’s itinerary in France, but further logistical precautions may become necessary. British and French authorities are working closely to ensure that everything goes seamlessly during the visit of the royal couple in Paris.

🇬🇧 La colère sociale sur les retraites en France menace de perturber la visite du roi Charles III, qui commence dimanche.

Au Royaume-Uni, la presse et Buckingham Palace commencent á se poser des questions…

📺 #LesMatinsLCI pic.twitter.com/HmNydJuY5s

— LCI (@LCI) March 23, 2023

Daily Mail writes that there is no suggestion that the state visit will be cancelled but sources told the paper that the palace was keeping a „close eye on the situation” which may require some modifications.

Le Figaro reports that Charles III will be attending the celebration on Monday, 27 March at the Arc de Triomphe, and then pay a visit to the Senate.

Mobilier National, the company furnishing the French President’s office and which also happens to be under the control of the French Ministry of Culture, has announced that its staff will boycott the arrival of Charles III and Camilla because the company stands by its opposition to the pension reform.

„Ce sera sans nous!”: le personnel du Mobilier national refuse de participer á l’accueil de Charles IIIhttps://t.co/EDKWb8Wtgz pic.twitter.com/3ILNhsqdwB

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 22, 2023