The French public audit office revealed that the office of President Emmanuel Macron incurred a multi-million euro budget overrun last year, primarily due to extravagant state dinners including a lavish lobster feast for Britain's King Charles.
This revelation contrasts with the outgoing government's stance that France cannot sustain its current high levels of public spending, which are among the highest globally relative to the economy's size. In September, Macron hosted King Charles and Queen Camilla at a state dinner in the 17th-century Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors, featuring blue lobster, Bresse French poultry with mushroom gratin, and a variety of French and English cheeses, totaling 475,000 euros, with 166,000 euros spent on catering alone.
In a bid to persuade India to purchase more French submarines and fighter jets, Macron also hosted a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Louvre in July 2023, costing 412,000 euros. Comparatively, banquets at the Elysee Palace were less expensive, such as the state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, which cost 138,000 euros.
The audit office also noted the escalating costs of presidential foreign trips, particularly the increasing use of an Airbus A330 for international flights at over 23,000 euros per hour. Consequently, the presidency's expenses increased by 6.5% last year to 117.2 million euros, resulting in a budget deficit of 8.3 million euros.
