In addition to royal suites for your guests, the estate's attractions include a 94-acre vineyard along the glistening French Broad River.

BBC: Top 20 royal wedding destinations

All the same, the French president faces broad political resistance.

ECONOMIST: France and NATO

His choice of prime minister is important because unlike Mr. Sarkozy, who kept a tight rein on day-to-day operations, Mr. Hollande has pledged to return to a traditional French division of power: a president who sets the broad agenda and a premier who implements it.

WSJ: Hollande Elected French President

As Corsicans considered proposals made by Lionel Jospin, the French prime minister, to devolve power to the island, two moderate Corsican nationalists were shot dead in broad daylight.

ECONOMIST: Bomb terror