Tourists disappointed over closure of Versailles Palace amid preparations for Trump-Macron dinner

(17 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Versailles, France - 17 June 2026 1. Wide of tourists outside the closed gates of Palace of Versailles 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Olson, US tourist from Minnesota: ++STARTS ON SHOT 1 AND PARTIALLY OVERLAID BY SHOTS 3 TO 5++ "It was about an hour of a trip. We came out here expecting to be able to go inside. Unfortunately that is not the case today as we learned upon our arrival, so it's quite unfortunate that we showed up expecting to be able to go in that way I guess we'll walk around town a little bit, but we'll just have to head back to Paris. I don't know what they're going to talk about (U.S. President, Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron). I don't know what the relationship is like. Personally, I dislike Trump, so it's even more disappointing that that's the reason it's closed today." 3. Various of tourists outside closed gates of Palace of Versailles 4. Various of police 5. Various of Palace of Versailles STORYLINE: Hours before US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron were scheduled to meet for dinner at the Palace of Versailles tourists unaware of the event were turned away at its closed gates, unable to visit. The glittering palace was closed to visitors as preparations got underway to welcome the French and American heads of state. Tourists Ben Olson and his girlfriend, Amanda Gruell, both from Minnesota, said it took them an hour to get from Paris to Versailles, only for them to learn they would not be able to enter. "I don't know what they're going to talk about," Olson said of the meeting. "I don't know what the relationship is like. Personally, I dislike Trump, so it's even more disappointing that that's the reason it's closed today," he added. Macron's office said the French president was hosting Trump for a dinner marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, calling it "a historic symbol of Franco-American friendship." The dinner will also provide an opportunity for the two presidents to continue discussions initiated at the G7 summit in Evians-les-Bains that ends Wednesday. Located southwest of Paris, the palace was the residence of French kings from the reign of Louis XIV through Louis XVI. It regularly hosts heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Macron hosted King Charles III and Queen Camilla there in 2023 during the king's state visit to France. The dinner was held in the Hall of Mirrors, one of the most celebrated rooms among the palace's 2,300 rooms. In 2017, before his relationship with Vladimir Putin deteriorated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the newly elected Macron hosted the Russian president at the palace. Trump arrived in France after celebrating his 80th birthday with a prime-time mixed martial arts event on the White House lawn. AP video shot by Emma Carmichael =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...