Ajaccio (AFP)
Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon was Wednesday in Ajaccio to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of his illustrious ancestor Napoleon I, whose heritage he has praised.
"It is a great pleasure to be here, just steps from the Bonaparte House and the Imperial Chapel where my family members rest including my grandfather," said the 33-year-old investor who works in London. He said he was "descendant of Napoleon's brother, Jerome".
These Napoleonic Days are "an opportunity to pay tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, to what he did for France, a legacy still present today among us through creations such as the civil code, the baccalaureate, the Bank of France , the Court of Auditors, "he added after a speech to the community of Corsica.
For him, Napoleon is above all "a fabulous destiny", the destiny of a man who "becomes 34 years Emperor and master of the world.It shows that finally everything is possible for everyone, it's a little bit image of the American self-made-man, that's why he inspires a lot of people ".
The heir, who measures nearly 2 meters, far from the 1m69 of his ascendant, head of the imperial house of France since the death on May 3, 1997 of his grandfather, Prince Louis Napoleon, was accompanied by the Countess Olympia d Arco Zinneberg, great-granddaughter of the last Austrian Emperor Charles I, whom he is to marry in October in Paris.
He met with the President of the Assembly of Corsica Jean-Guy Talamoni on a project "Pascal Paoli - Napoleon" which aims to develop a cultural and memorial tourism around the links between these two emblematic characters in Corsica.
Wednesday night, the prince will attend the reconstruction of the Battle of Austerlitz, --clone Napoleonic days - with 700 enthusiasts from all over Europe to embody the soldiers.
He will also be present at the official ceremonies on Thursday. Welcoming the presence of Senate Speaker Gerard Larcher, "second authority after the president," he acknowledged in a smile that "it would have been even better if President Macron had been present", recalling the presence of President Georges Pompidou at the bicentennial from the anniversary of birth in 1969.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio and died May 5, 1821 on the island of St. Helena. He was proclaimed Emperor Napoleon I in 1804.
© 2019 AFP