Letter to His Majesty

Your Majesty,

Allow me, with the deepest humility and affection, to address these lines to You from the Province of Quebec in Canada. My name is Maxime Paquette Smith, born on 3 July 1981 in that land which France ceded to the British Crown at the end of the Seven Years’ War. Since then, our destinies have been intertwined: we, French-speaking Quebeckers, have struggled to preserve our French soul in a multipolar, almost Babel-like world, where languages and cultures meet, sometimes collide, yet ultimately enrich one another.

In this tumult of nations and voices, English has become a bridge, a shared instrument of understanding, and the British monarchy a luminous point of continuity. Your Majesty embodies the idea that a nation may renew itself without renouncing its heritage, that it may embrace modernity while remaining faithful to its most noble traditions. This union of stability and openness, of continuity and esprit, makes Your reign a reference for many peoples far beyond the borders of the United Kingdom.

I was deeply moved to see President Emmanuel Macron of France, with his passionate and modern spirit, pay tribute to You in the presence of President Vladimir Putin during an official ceremony. What might have appeared as a simple gesture of protocol seemed to me a sign of profound friendship: the recognition by France of a community of values with Your Majesty – love of country, sense of duty, respect for history, and a certain ideal of grâce and dignity in public life.

France, and with her the francophones of Canada, have chosen to be Your friends and, in their own way, to feel part of Your extended family. In Your person we recognise nobility of heart, reverence for customs, elegance of manners, and the discreet yet steadfast grace of a sovereign who bears not only the weight of a kingdom, but also the responsibility of a centuries‑old civilisation.

I also wish to pay tribute to our Prime Minister of Canada, who strives to act in accordance with the highest values of our time: respect for human dignity, defence of liberty, loyalty to parliamentary democracy and to the Crown. In a troubled world, he endeavours to remain a faithful servant of our institutions and a tireless advocate of dialogue and peace. I am profoundly proud of this, for his efforts honour the bond that unites Canada to the monarchy, and they respond, in their own way, to the confidence that Your Majesty places in our country.

One of the most eloquent symbols of this shared spirit between our nations is to be found in the figure of Mr Mark Carney, who has had the singular honour of serving both as Governor of the Bank of Canada and of the Bank of England. In his career I see a living bridge between our institutions, a man who has carried across the Atlantic the same rigour, prudence and sense of responsibility that are at the heart of the best public service. Through such lives, our countries do not merely cooperate; they converse, they trust, and they grow together.

We francophones often speak too much, sometimes with an exuberance that may appear excessive, yet it is always, in truth, an attempt to express the inexpressible: our affection, our loyalty, our admiration. If our words stumble, it is because our hearts press against the limits of language in their desire to tell You how deeply we are attached to the values You represent. Beyond accents and frontiers, there is the same aspiration: to serve what is just, what is good, and what is worthy of the human person.

We love You, Your Majesty. In our hearts and in the memory of the Earth, You will remain a true and singular King – a guardian of an ancient story and a witness to an age of profound transformation. Your name, Your example and Your image will be associated with the conviction that a sovereign may be at once the heir of tradition and an artisan of change, a defender of continuity and a builder of a more humane world.

I beg You graciously to accept, Your Majesty, the expression of my deepest respect and of my loyal and grateful devotion.