French airport to be renamed after Queen Elizabeth II in tribute
An airport in France will be renamed in honour of Queen Elizabeth II after receiving permission from the King, officials in the town have said.
Le Touquet, in northern France, received the blessing from the King on Monday, its town hall said.
Touquet-Paris-Plage airport will be Elizabeth II Le Touquet-Paris-Plage International Airport.
The town hall said the tribute to the "Great Queen" would also recognise the "most British of French resorts".
A date for the inauguration has not been set.
It comes after the original proposal was made to the British Crown six days after the death of the Queen on 8 September last year.
Le Touquet explained it was also a nod to the late Queen's uncle, Edward VIII, who visited the resort to enjoy horse riding and sand yachting, sometimes accompanied by his niece when she was not yet Queen.
"That King Charles III accepted the proposal of the mayor of Le Touquet further reinforces the strategy of the latter who wants to affirm Le Touquet as 'the most British of French resorts'," Le Touquet's town hall added.
The airport was designed in the 1930s to welcome Britons to the coastal town about an hour's drive from Calais. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte also have a holiday home there.
The town hopes its airport's new name will strengthen the link between the town and the UK, and welcome tourist planes from across the Channel.
Next month, Le Touquet will host the England rugby team when it plays in Rugby World Cup being hosted in France.
Buckingham Palace and the Cabinet Office have been contacted for comment on the renaming.
-bbc
