A “ring of steel” operation will be in force to protect the King and Queen in France and safeguard against terrorist attacks and disorder.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will be in France from today (Wednesday, September 20) on a state visit after it was postponed before the Coronation in May due to rioting.
Now all police leave has been suspended across Paris and Bordeaux as authorities try to safeguard against potential terrorist threats as well as public disorder during the visit.
France is also hosting the Rugby World Cup and Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection, warned that security services will be under strain, reports The Mirror.
He said: “Security services will be stretched to the limit.
“There will have been increased security briefings on both sides of the Channel to prepare for any eventuality, especially the threat of industrial or political disturbances.
“This is very much a ring of steel operation.”
Some 8,000 extra officers will be deployed today as a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe as a ceremony welcomes the royals.
An extra 10,000 police officers will be on duty tomorrow when the pair visit Notre Dame, now renovated after a fire in 2019
When the King and Queen go to Bordeaux and the Pope arrives in Marseilles for a visit on Friday a further 12,000 are due to be on duty.
And reports suggest a further 30,000 will be drafted in when the King presides over Mass at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles on Saturday.
The royal pair were due to visit Paris in March but protests against retirement age reforms meant the trip was cancelled.
Security services know of reports in al-Qaeda’s magazine that the group has threatened to attack a French ministry.
Buckingham Palace said: “The visit will mark the shared history, culture and values of the UK and France.”
Meanwhile royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams says King Charles’s French state visit is the perfect opportunity to heal Brexit rifts.
He said: “The benefits of such visits are considerable, especially after Brexit, the media coverage is invariably huge and there are political, trade and cultural benefits.”
