On 21 September, King Charles III followed in his mother's footsteps by addressing lawmakers in the French upper chamber, the Senate. He focused on a message of unity between France and the UK, ending with a personal pledge to strengthen what he described as the ‘indispensable’ relationship between the two countries during his time as monarch. He also suggested that France and Britain should team up to jointly tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies with a new version of the 1904 Entente Cordiale pact that sealed the friendship between Paris and London. The king’s speech, which he delivered in English and French, received a standing ovation as it came to a close.