In June 1992, Elizabeth II, the Queen of England arrived in Paris on a 4-day state visit. It was Her Majesty's first official visit since 1972 and the 3rd since becoming Queen in 1952. Francois and Danielle Mitterrand welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to France. At the arrival ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II stated, "Great Britain is at the heart of Europe, and the future of Europe corresponds with its own. Only through its close links with France will it be able to take advantage of the openings and opportunities that Europe offers."
The visit coincided with reports of the breakdown of Diana's fairy-tale marriage to Prince Charles which was made public with the publication of the Andrew Morton's 158-page book, 'Diana: Her True Story'. Diana was one of 20th century most photographed women. "She was a constant splash of color through the dark days of economic recession," it was pointed out. "Her adult life was never really her own."
Benjamin Netanyahu recognized, "She captured the imagination of millions throughout the world." It was said, "Diana reached out to the people on the margin of society and fed on their response to her compassion."
In an interview with The Britain's 'Telegraph' in April 2015, Andrew Morton told Angela Wintle, "The book trade didn’t think the world was interested in another Diana publication, so early subscriptions were paltry and only 18,000 copies were printed.
"We subsequently lost sales because there weren’t enough books to go around … The book went on to sell about 7 million copies in 80 countries, and I made more than £1m over several years." Some 750 million people in 50 countries around the world watched Diana married Prince Charles in July 1981 in a once-in-a-lifetime thing to see. It was the biggest media event ever and the most spectacular State ceremony since the Queen's coronation.
In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Robert Runcie, described the wedding of the 20th century as, "Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made." In November 1995, on the night marking Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's 48th wedding anniversary, Diana told 23 million Britons, "Here was a situation which hadn't ever happened before in history, in the sense that the media were everywhere, and here was a fairy story that everybody wanted to work." After over 10 years, "My husband and I, we discussed it calmly. We could see what the public were requiring. They wanted clarity of the situation which obviously becoming intolerable."
In December 1992, John Major informed the House of Commons, "It is announced from Buckingham Palace that, with regret, the Prince and Princess of Wales have decided to separate. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, though saddened, understand and sympathize with the difficulties that have led to this decision. Their constitutional positions are unaffected. The decision to separate has no constitutional implications. The succession to the throne is unaffected by it … And there is no reason why the Princess of Wales should not be crowned Queen in due course."
In May 1994, Queen Elizabeth II joined Francois Mitterrand in Calais, France for the inauguration of the $15 billion 31.4-mile long Channel Tunnel (also known as 'The Chunnel') - one of mankind's greatest civil engineering feats - a technological wonder in modern European history - that closed a 35-minute geographic gap by reconnecting Britain and mainland Europe for the first time since the Ice Age which saw Britain broke off from the continent to become its own "little island".
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony which was broadcast live on French and British television, the Queen told 700 guests, "This is the first time in history that the heads of state of France and Britain have been able to meet each other without either of them having to travel by sea or air. To rejoin what nature separated some 40 million years ago has been a recurring dream of statesmen and engineers for several centuries."
The Channel Tunnel which took 6 years to build (1988-1993) comprised 3 underwater tunnels (the main tunnels and a service tunnel) situated 132 feet under the English Channel seabed. In a joint booklet, the two governments stressed their "enduring closeness" and reminded, "As the history of this century confirms, when it matters, France and Britain will choose to go forward together."
First proposed in 1751 and during Napoleon's reign in 1802, the Queen crossed the English Channel by a special Eurostar high-speed train which left Waterloo station in London. The shuttle trains would carry vehicles and passengers through 2 one-way tunnels during the trip. Passengers were allowed to stay in their vehicles or stroll about the trains. Hence after the ceremony, the Queen and Francois Mitterrand decided "to hop on the British monarch's 1977 Rolls Royce Phantom VI limousine."
Amongst the guests was Margaret Thatcher who signed the deal in 1986 to build the tunnel. "When Britain and France decide to work together and to call on their immense human and material resources, they can do great things," Francois Mitterrand enthused at the time. Of the Channel Tunnel, Luciano Pavarotti expressed, "It is something that will bring Europe together even more."
At a ceremony held in 1987 at Elysee Palace, Margaret Thatcher told guests, "No one would have been more thrilled than Queen Victoria, who always saw a channel tunnel as offering salvation from her dread of sea sickness. The sheer scale of the channel tunnel project has daunted many of our predecessors over the last 200 years.
"Too often in the past pioneering spirits, men of vision and imagination, have been foiled by bureaucracy, narrow minds or plain fear of the unknown." The treaty to build the tunnel, Mrs. Thatcher maintained, "has brought to the brink of fruition a project that has challenged engineers, entrepreneurs and governments on both sides of the channel for generations."
Francois Mitterrand insisted the Channel Tunnel, "it will provide an opportunity for more Europeans to get to know and get to understand Great Britain." Francois Mitterrand died in January 1996. In 1981, he defeated Valery Giscard d'Estaing to become President of France. He had worked tirelessly with Chancellor Helmut Kohl to construct the European Union and surpassed Charles de Gaulle for the number of years (two 7-year terms) in power (1981-1995). At the time, only Napoleon III was the longest serving leader (1852-1870).
Born in 1916, "Tonton" (Uncle) Mitterrand was described as a master of political theater, both bold and controversial. His aggressive campaign in 1992 brought passage of referendum on Maastricht treaty calling for common European currency, borders, defense and foreign policy. In December 1996, Jacques Chirac opened the $1.3 billion National Library named after Francois Mitterrand who commissioned the four 18-story towers, housing 11 million volumes in 250 miles of stacks to replace the 17th century library in central Paris. Jacques Chirac believed Francois Mitterrand "wrote an important page in the history of our country."
Amongst the guests was Margaret Thatcher who signed the deal in 1986 to build the tunnel. "When Britain and France decide to work together and to call on their immense human and material resources, they can do great things," Francois Mitterrand enthused at the time. Of the Channel Tunnel, Luciano Pavarotti expressed, "It is something that will bring Europe together even more."
At a ceremony held in 1987 at Elysee Palace, Margaret Thatcher told guests, "No one would have been more thrilled than Queen Victoria, who always saw a channel tunnel as offering salvation from her dread of sea sickness. The sheer scale of the channel tunnel project has daunted many of our predecessors over the last 200 years.
"Too often in the past pioneering spirits, men of vision and imagination, have been foiled by bureaucracy, narrow minds or plain fear of the unknown." The treaty to build the tunnel, Mrs. Thatcher maintained, "has brought to the brink of fruition a project that has challenged engineers, entrepreneurs and governments on both sides of the channel for generations."
Francois Mitterrand insisted the Channel Tunnel, "it will provide an opportunity for more Europeans to get to know and get to understand Great Britain." Francois Mitterrand died in January 1996. In 1981, he defeated Valery Giscard d'Estaing to become President of France. He had worked tirelessly with Chancellor Helmut Kohl to construct the European Union and surpassed Charles de Gaulle for the number of years (two 7-year terms) in power (1981-1995). At the time, only Napoleon III was the longest serving leader (1852-1870).
Born in 1916, "Tonton" (Uncle) Mitterrand was described as a master of political theater, both bold and controversial. His aggressive campaign in 1992 brought passage of referendum on Maastricht treaty calling for common European currency, borders, defense and foreign policy. In December 1996, Jacques Chirac opened the $1.3 billion National Library named after Francois Mitterrand who commissioned the four 18-story towers, housing 11 million volumes in 250 miles of stacks to replace the 17th century library in central Paris. Jacques Chirac believed Francois Mitterrand "wrote an important page in the history of our country."
