THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will pay a State Visit to France from 5 to 7 April 2004, to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale.

Background

The Queen last visited France on 11 November 1998, to unveil a statue of Sir Winston Churchill and attend ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

She has made three previous State Visits to France: 1992 (Paris, Loire and Bordeaux); 1972 (Paris, Provence and Normandy), and 1957 (Paris and Lille).