1885–1995

The State Visits

Since Queen Victoria’s visit in 1855, Versailles had been the privileged setting for France’s diplomatic receptions. Tsar Nicholas II and King George VI were received here in 1896 and 1938. This use of the palace became a ritual during the 4th and 5th Republic. After Elizabeth II in 1957, John and Jackie Kennedy, the Shah of Iran, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin are received at Versailles. In 1892, President François Mitterrand used the Grand Trianon for the 8th G7 Summit.