THE Britons were disappointed. It will not be one of their airports the first to bear the name of Queen Elizabeth II. In a decision that shocked even several Royals, who apparently were unaware of it, the honor will not go to the London airport of Heathrow, as had been assumed for months, but to a small French airport, that of Le Touquet.
Queen Elizabeth finally has “her” airport, but not in Great Britain
Elizabeth II Le Touquet-Paris-Plage International Airport: this will be the name of the airport in northern France, one hour from the port of Calais and currently used mainly by private jets. The official opening date has not yet been set, but King Charles III will be present at the event. After all, it was he who authorized the use of the name of her mother, who disappeared on 8 September in Balmoral, Scotland, at the age of 96.
The British authorities have been too slow in choosing an airport
While in Great Britain the various airport authorities had been bickering for months about which airport to choose, those of Le Touquet airport were already preparing advanced projects for the renaming and ceremonial. They’ve had enough time: their request had already reached the Buckingham Palace offices last Septemberjust six days after the Queen’s disappearance.
King Charles could not refuse
In the absence of valid alternatives among British airports, the sovereign was practically forced to grant his authorization to the French, announced on social media by the mayor of Le Touquet, Daniel Fasquelle.
The request had been justified by emphasizing the desire to pay homage to a queen very close to France (Elizabeth insisted on having all the menus of the royal palaces drawn up in French) and to her «exceptional life». Not even Le Touquet’s choice is causal: she is, in fact, described as «the most British of the French resort towns», still very popular among the English today.
The adventures of Elizabeth as a child in Le Touquet
Carlo will be able to console himself by remembering the stories of his mother, who as a young girl she had accompanied her uncle Edward VIII several times at Le Touquet, landing right at that airport, which was newly built at the time (it was built in the 1930s). But what were the sovereign destined to abdicate and the princess who, precisely because of her uncle’s scandalous choice, would one day ascend the throne, were doing in the French resort? Both passionate about outdoor sports, the two enjoyed riding horses together and sand yachting together.
Princess Elizabeth with her uncle Edward VIII at Balmoral in September 1033 (Getty Images)
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