A seaside town in northern France where President Emmanuel Macron has a holiday home is to name its airport after Queen Elizabeth II.
In the latest tribute to the late monarch, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (Le Touquet-Paris-Beach) will become a permanent tribute to Her Majesty.
It follows Mr Macron saying that her memory “represents eternity” and “she will be with us forever”.
When she was a little girl in the early 1930s, the then Princess Elizabeth visited the English Channel resort with her family, according to the local council in Le Touquet.
In a statement, they said: ‘To pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and in memory of her visit to Le Touquet with her uncle Edward VIII, during which she practised both horse riding and sand yachting, the town of Le Touquet-Paris-Plage wishes to name its airport after her.
‘For 70 years she served her country with commitment, respect and constancy at the same time as she was always attentive to good relations between our two nations, she who spoke French and appreciated our country.’
At one point in the 1950s, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage was as busy as airports in Paris and Nice.
It hosted the Silver Arrow service, which linked London and Paris by air in just four hours.
Nowadays, the airport is hugely popular with private fliers from the UK – many of whom arrive to play golf or go for lunch at one of the upmarket restaurants in the town.
Mr Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, inherited a house there, and the couple often spend weekends and holidays in the town.
Other iconic British figures who lived there in the past included Noël Coward, P.G. Wodehouse and Ian Fleming.
President Macron will be among numerous world leaders attending the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
Mr Macron has already spoken to Charles III by phone, and aides said he ‘offered his sincere condolences to the King and expressed his full support.’
