Thank you for the beautiful gift. This magnolia plant may still be small. But it holds great significance as a symbol of the shared history of our two countries.

Cut from the tree that King Oscar II planted here 119 years ago, it is a living link between the past, the present and the future.

I look very much forward to bringing this gift home to my daughter, Princess Estelle, and to help her plant it in the garden of our home.

There, at the Haga palace, it will stand to remind her of her family history and of the long-standing friendship between France and Sweden.

To her grandparents and parents, it will also be a reminder of this visit.

Mayor Bayrou, let me take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you and to everyone involved in this visit. Thank you for making it a most memorable one! Your warm hospitality is much appreciated. And so are all your efforts in organising the ”Automne Scandinave” here in Pau.

I look forward to the day when I will return. I can’t wait to show this beautiful place to our daughter, Princess Estelle, and her younger brother, Prince Oscar.

Thank you.