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Sarko Day
Prince Charles greets the First Lady in the traditional French manner
An hour from now, France's President Nicolas Sarkozy will land at London's Heathrow Airport, to be greeted by Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall. It's the beginning of a short state visit which sees both the President and Britain's Gordon Brown hope to renew their flagging political fortunes.
Unlike Brown, however, Sarkozy is travelling with not-so-secret weapons: His new wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and her mother, Marisa Bruni-Tedeschi (Sarkozy's mother, who was expected to travel with him, has cancelled).
From the airport, the British and French parties will ride to be joined by the Queen, who they will accompany to Windsor Castle in a state carriage procession.
This is the grandest overseas event Sarkozy has taken part in since he became President ten months ago. After a battering in this month's municipal elections, partly inspired by his colorful personal life, the President is eager to show that he has moved into a new, more "Presidential" phase in his five year term. While he will be scrutinised closely, Mme Bruni-Sarkozy is more likely to be in the focus of the British and French cameras.
The glamourous former model is very keen to demonstrate her First Lady credentials to the French public. EURSOC is gratified to see that the "Pro-Carla" strategy we recommended back in January, when the rest of the media was ridiculing the President and his new squeeze, seems to have been taken up by both the Elysée and the press. Bruni, unlike her husband, can be trusted to behave even at the grandest occasions. She is sure to make a grand but not showy impression: Recent photographs have shown her to be the soul of discretion, not least compared to the glitzier appearance of Sarkozy's other women, such as Justice Minister Rachida Dati.
Perhaps those "New Jackie O" predictions we made weren't far off. We'll see for sure over the next day.
The news that a nude photograph taken of Carla 15 years ago when she was a model will go on auction in New York next month is said to have rattled the French party. Utter nonsense. Bruni posed for countless photographers in the course of her long career: She is unlikely to be horrified by the sale of one, when it and dozens like it have been available on the internet for years (we've looked). Reports in The Sun that she is "spitting blood" are balls.
What is interesting is the news that Sarkozy has reportedly requested a look at the wine list for tonight's Royal Banquet. Usually the Queen sees the menu on the day of the event, but reports claim Sarko has asked for a peek at what wine will be on offer. Sarko is a tee-totaller. Could Carla be pregnant? Some French drinkers claim that pregnant women can safely drink certain types of wine - is he checking the safe list? Ah, speculation.
On to business. Sarkozy is expected to make moves to bring France back into the NATO fold, but will want a payback along the lines of Gordon Brown committing British troops to an EU force which could form the basis of an EU army within - or outside - NATO.
Immigration is up for discussion, though is a sensitive issue in both countries and unlikely to feature in Sarkozy's 4PM speech to the British Houses of Parliament. He will, however, press for closer Franco-British ties, especially as under his command the Franco-German motor has run out of steam. While Britain is historically and culturally more "Eurosceptic" than France, France has an interest in keeping much of the EU at arm's length too, not least those few aspects of European integration the British support, such as free competition, reduction of farm subsidies and free movement of services. Indeed, it has been said that as Britain and France stand at opposite poles on most European issues, anything they both agree on can be safely described as inoffensive.
The Independent has a good guide to the Presidential visit, while the Telegraph publishes an hour-by-hour schedule.
