The Count of Paris Receives the French and Italian Presidents at Amboise

The Head of the Royal House of France and the French President exchange greetings

Today, 2 May, the Count and Countess of Paris received President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron of France as well as President Sergio Mattarella of Italy at the Château d'Amboise. Prince Gaston and Princess Antoinette d'Orléans accompanied their parents. The occasion for the gathering at Amboise was to commemorate 500 years since the death of Leonardo da Vinci.

Da Vinci by Francesco Melzi

Da Vinci was born on 15 April 1452 at Vinci in the Republic of Florence. The Renaissance man died on 2 May 1519 at Amboise in the Kingdom of France. Da Vinci's place of death occurred at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, which was built in 1471 and still stands today.

As the Count and Countess of Paris look on, Prince Gaston shakes hands with Emmanuel Macron

The French President bows to the Countess of Paris

Princess Antoinette d'Orléans receives the greetings of Emmanuel Macron

A portion of the communiqué released by the Royal House of France regarding this event reads as follows:

This meeting at Amboise, then at Clos Lucé and Chambord, is an opportunity to recall the importance of our tangible and intangible heritage, a sign of a united Europe at its roots, as well as of the diplomatic role of the Head of the Royal House of France, which the Orléans family has always taken to heart, including when it was in exile. The Count of Paris is the honorary president of the Saint-Louis Foundation, owner of the royal Château d'Amboise, where the brilliant artist Leonardo da Vinci is buried.

The full communiqué from the Count of Paris