King George V, dressed in naval uniform, and Queen Mary, in a blue dress and hat, ride in an open carriage, preceded by a cavalry escort; beyond, Les Invalides; on the left, onlookers cheering and raising their hats.

The state visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Paris in April 1914 acted as a formal marker of the Entente Cordiale and was – despite the increasingly unavoidable signs of the imminent European war – a great success. 'The weather was glorious (summer weather)' wrote Queen Mary, 'the Bois looking too lovely, chestnuts out & flowers […] It has been a curious & interesting experience & shows anyhow that the French people wish to be on good terms with us'.

In her pale blue crêpe de soie gown and hat piled with blue-white ostrich plumes, the Queen is clearly visible at the centre of this depiction of the couple's triumphal ride past Les Invalides, painted by Eugène-Louis Gillot. Though born and trained in Paris, the artist was well-known in Britain for his large commemorative paintings: in 1911 he had painted the Coronation of George V (also in the Royal Collection) and the Investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales at Caenarfon Castle. This painting was presented to the Queen by Gillot himself; its loose, impressionistic handling conveys the excitement of the scene.