King Charles Hosts Macron in First European State Visit to UK Since Brexit
King Charles welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit, their warm greeting symbolising the return of closer ties between the two countries.
Macron, treated to a British state visit for the first time, enjoys a strong personal relationship with the king, and there were smiles as the pair met alongside their wives, Brigitte and Queen Camilla, and watched over by soldiers on horseback, in ceremonial uniform of blue tunics and scarlet plumes.
Charles is expected to emphasise “the multitude of complex threats” both countries face in a speech he will deliver at a state dinner at Windsor Castle later, while Macron posted on X on his arrival that “there is so much we can build together”.
Kicking off the trip in that spirit, the two countries jointly announced that French nuclear energy utility EDF would invest £1.1 billion ($1.5 billion) in a project to build a nuclear power station in eastern England.
In Windsor, accompanied by heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Catherine, the group climbed into several horse-drawn carriages for a procession which finished in the medieval castle’s courtyard, west of London.
Since Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s centre-left Labour Party swept back to power last year, Britain has been trying to reset ties with its European allies, and Charles will help set the tone of Macron’s visit before the political talks get underway.
“Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world,” the 76-year-old monarch, who is still undergoing treatment for cancer, will say at the banquet later.
While Macron’s three-day trip is filled with talks on economic issues and foreign affairs, the first day of the state visit, which comes 16 years after the late Queen Elizabeth hosted then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is largely focused on pageantry, and heavy in symbolism.
