Team GB athletes posed for selfies with Mick Jagger at a star-studded reception last night as they were welcomed to Paris for the start of the Olympic Games.
Britain’s Olympians descended on the British Ambassador’s official residence in Paris where they dined on canapes and shook hands with the Rolling Stones frontman.
Princess Anne attended the star-studded event where she wished Team GB’s stars ‘every bit of success and that it goes as well as you hope’ ahead of the games.
The Princess Royal, 73, who is also the British Olympic Association president, gave a speech as Tom Daley and Helen Glover were confirmed as flag bearers for Friday’s opening ceremony.
Team GB’s athletes grabbed photographs with Mr Jagger as they gathered in the beautiful gardens of L’hôtel De Charost, the British embassy in Paris.
Team GB athletes posed for selfies with Mick Jagger at a star-studded reception as they were welcomed to Paris for the start of the Olympic Games
Princess Anne attended the star-studded event where she wished Team GB ‘s stars ‘every bit of success and that it goes as well as you hope’ ahead of the games
Britain’s Olympians descended on the British Ambassador’s official residence in Paris where they dined on canapes and shook hands with the Rolling Stones frontman
Team GB were cheered while Union Flags were waved as they were welcomed to the British embassy, just a few doors down from the Élysée Palace, ahead of the games starting on Friday.
British boxers Patrick Brown and Lewis Richardson got a photograph with Mr Jagger, while Adam Burgess, who competes in canoe slalom, posted a selfie with the rockstar with the caption: ‘Not who I expected to meet at Paris 2024.’
The British ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings, didn’t miss an opportunity for a picture with Mr Jagger and also shared a snap of the menu that Team GB dined on.
It featured dishes inspired by British cuisine including a scotch egg canape, coronation chicken tartlet, sausage rolls with a mustard dip, fish and chips and an ‘audacious style Eton Mess’ for dessert.
The women’s rowing squad shared photographs of them enjoying the pistachio, elderflower and strawberry ice cream on offer, and even joked: ‘Bonjour and merci for le fromage.’
On Instagram, the British embassy in Paris said: ‘A huge thank you to Team GB for representing us at the Olympics, a huge thank you to the embassy teams for organizing this wonderful event, and a huge thank you for our chefs for these bold choices of dishes that satisfied all cravings, all dietary needs and especially the taste buds.’
Team GB were cheered while Union Flags were waved as they were welcomed to the British embassy, just a few doors down from the Élysée Palace, ahead of the games starting on Friday
The British ambassador to France, Dame Menna Rawlings, didn’t miss an opportunity for a picture with Mr Jagger
British ambassador Dame Menna Rawlings also shared a snap of the menu that Team GB dined on that featured dishes inspired by British cuisine
Adam Burgess, who competes in canoe slalom, posted a selfie with the rockstar with the caption: ‘Not who I expected to meet at Paris 2024’
Team GB athletes attended a star-studded reception as they were welcomed to Paris for the start of the Olympic Games, with guests including Mick Jagger, Princess Anne and broadcaster Clare Balding
Princess Anne’s attendance marked part of her gradual return to royal duties since she was taken to hospital on June 23 with minor head wounds and concussion after walking around her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. Her doctors believe her injuries to be consistent with being struck by a horse.
In her speech, Anne, who was the first British royal to compete at the Olympics, said: ‘I hope you all feel that this is the environment that encourages you to perform at your best, but you won’t know that until it happens.
‘But if it’s a personal best, you can be imminently proud of what you’ve achieved because you’ll know you couldn’t have done any better.
‘It is the process of getting here, and some of you are getting here again and again and again… and again. That is extraordinary because it requires such inspiration and innovation to maintain those levels of excellence for an Olympic Games.
‘That says something enormous about your achievements and your skills. Thank you for your commitment and your support and I just wish you every bit of success, and that it goes as well as you hope in every way – and also do take the chance to enjoy it, the village does have its moments where it can be enjoyed.’
Team GB’s athletes gathered in the beautiful gardens of L’hôtel De Charost, the British embassy in Paris, where they enjoyed food and even live music
Team GB were cheered while Union Flags were waved as they were welcomed to the British embassy, just a few doors down from the Élysée Palace, ahead of the games starting on Friday
The women’s rowing squad shared photographs of them enjoying the pistachio, elderflower and strawberry ice cream on offer, and even joked: ‘Bonjour and merci for le fromage’
Team GB athletes posed for photographs with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger
Her speech came as Daley and Glover were named as Team GB’s joint flag bearers for Friday’s opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The duo boast three Olympic gold medals between them with Daley coming into the Games as the defending champion in the men’s 10 metre synchro diving event.
Glover won coxless pairs gold in both London and Rio, and came out of retirement in 2021 in a quest to add to her medals tally in the French capital.
Daley is the first diver to be afforded the honour of carrying the flag in the opening ceremony, while Glover is the second consecutive rower, following Moe Sbihi in Tokyo.
Daley, 30, said his first thoughts were with his father Robert, who died of cancer one year before his son won the first of his four Olympic medals in 2012.
Dame Menna Rawlings, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, Tom Daly, Helen Glover and Mark England pose for a photo in front of the athletes of Team GB.
‘My dad would not have ever believed I would be a flag bearer one day,’ said Daley. ‘He always considered flag bearers to be Olympic icons and legends. I think he would be so incredibly proud of me being a flag bearer of Team GB.’
Princess Anne has wished Team GB’s athletes ‘all the best’ ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Princess Anne stood between Helen Glover and Tom Daley, who have been named as Team GB’s joint bearers for Friday’s opening ceremony
Dame Menna Rawlings, Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, Tom Daly, Helen Glover and Mark England pose for a photo in front of the athletes of Team GB
The royal spoke to Team GB stars Helen Glover and diver Tom Daley
Daley said winning his gold medal alongside Matty Lee in Tokyo ensured he could approach Paris with a healthier mindset and is determined to soak up the experience.
‘This Olympics has all been about enjoying it and soaking it in,’ Daley added. ‘At the other Olympics I have tortured myself through those experiences because I wanted the gold medal so badly. I have won one and this time I am going to soak in all the experiences.’
Glover, 38, who will be competing in the women’s four in Paris, described the news as ‘probably the biggest honour of my life.’
She added: ‘I just love the Olympics and have always loved what it stood for. But I still pinch myself that I am an Olympian, let alone doing something that I just saw as going down in history. To be flag bearer for a nation, it’s an honour.
‘You can work hard to become an Olympian but this is bestowed upon me by somebody else who has seen that hard work. That just means so much.’
The princess returned home to Gatcombe Park some weeks ago after receiving treatment at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
While the details of the incident are still unclear, doctors believe her injuries are consistent with being struck by a horse’s head or legs.
Anne is in France for 12 days to undertake a busy programme of engagements related to the Olympics.