• King Charles III and his wife have announced a trip to France from 26 to 28 March.
  • In particular, they must travel to the Landiras site, ravaged by forest fires in July and August 2022.
  • Several residents of Landiras appreciate the approach, but most feel little concerned by the event.

"Oh yes, it's true that he's supposed to come... Less than ten days before the scheduled visit of King Charles III and the Queen Consort to the Landiras sector (Gironde), affected by forest fires in 2022, the event is far from disrupting the daily lives of the inhabitants.


This Sunday morning, on the market of Landiras, we are generally more concerned about the consequences of the 49.3 decided by the government to pass the pension reform, than this royal visit to Gironde on March 28. "What I hope above all is that it does not block us the village!" says Dominique Kuntz, who runs the "Domi Paella" stand, and who says he is "absolutely not concerned" by the arrival of the King of the United Kingdom. "And what tells you that his coming will be maintained?" asks a resident, worried about the social climate in the country.

"We will be notified at the last minute" thinks the mayor

King Charles III and his wife announced earlier this month a trip to France from 26 to 28 March. They will first visit Paris, then Bordeaux on March 28, from where they will reach the same day the Château Smith Haut-Lafitte in Martillac for a tasting, then the Landiras area. According to the British Embassy in France, "Her Majesty will come to observe the damage caused by last summer's forest fires, and listen to the testimonies of rescuers and the local community." Sensitive to environmental issues, the King wishes to go and see the effects of global warming on the spot. If the first fire in Landiras was of criminal origin, the extreme weather conditions quickly made it uncontrollable.

The mayor of Landiras, Jean-Marc Pelletant, ensures that he has for the moment "absolutely no information" concerning the organization and protocol around this state visit. "I don't even know if he comes to Landiras itself, because the burned area is still very large and extends over several communes... Some 22,000 hectares of forest had burned in July and August 2022, all around Landiras. "We will be notified at the last minute, continues the mayor, I think it is for security reasons."


It's a now devastated area that the royal couple will explore, marked by gaping holes in the middle of the forest — though young pines have been replanted in several places — and mountains of cut wood waiting to be picked up by the roadside.

"It is to his credit to come to the Landiras site"

Jean-Marc Pelletant says he is "very honored that during a state visit a great character of this world comes to see us." "His arrival shows that these fires have marked the whole world, continues the elected official. There have been reports in several countries, in the United States, in Great Britain, on the Landiras fire. »

In the market, some residents also appreciate the approach. "Charles III is very sensitive to everything related to ecology, I think he is a good person and it is to his credit to want to go to the site of the fires," says Annette Lavigne. "It's very good that he is moving here," said another resident, who preferred to remain anonymous. I do not expect anything particular from his coming, but if it can challenge people to make them more respectful, and speed things up to unlock resources, so much the better, because we saw during these fires that we lacked resources. The question of assigning two Canadairs to the Gironde often came up in discussions.

"A terrible memory" of these fires

In the village, we remain very marked by these fires, which had required the evacuation of several inhabitants. Angelina, who had just returned from motherhood after giving birth, remembers it vividly. "We all have terrible memories of these fires, we were very shocked." "We live in the middle of the woods, we were at the heart of the fires," continues Dominique Kuntz. Today, when I take this road [the main road that runs through the forest], I still have a lump in my stomach. »



However, many residents remain angry against "the government's management of fires". "We have been abandoned," Annette says coldly. "Fortunately, the volunteers, the town halls, were there to feed the firefighters," says Dominique, who herself went to "bring a hundred meals" to the firefighters. "The solidarity between the villages has been tremendous," she says.

"We will have to remain very vigilant"

"This fire was unmanageable and lasted two and a half months," recalls Jean-Marc Pelletant. And the mayor says he is worried before the return of sunny days. "The peat in the basement means that the fire has smouldered in some places for a very long time. Two weeks before Christmas we still had smoke coming out of the ground. After this winter's drought, we will have to remain very vigilant. »

To clarify this dark picture, the elected official also stresses that there is not only forest in his sector, but also vines, in the Graves appellation. "We have thirteen castles, and as King Charles seems to be a wine lover, we plan to offer him a bottle of wine from each estate."

  • Society
  • King Charles III
  • Fire
  • Forest fires
  • Environment
  • Global warming
  • Bordeaux
  • Gironde
  • Aquitaine
  • New Aquitaine