France's Macron kicks off 'historic' UK state visit

WINDSOR, England (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron received a warm and pomp-filled welcome Tuesday from King Charles III as he began a three-day state visit to Britain, the first by an EU head of state since Brexit.

Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, hailed an “important moment for our two nations” after landing and heading straight for Windsor, west of London, to meet the British monarch.

“Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defense, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture,” he posted on X.

The French leader added that Paris and London were seeking to “deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way.”

The first state visit by an EU head of state since the U.K.’s acrimonious 2020 departure from the European Union, it is also the first by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.

During his visit, Macron will hold several meetings with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

After taking power in 2024, the British leader has been making good on his pledge to reset relations with European capitals following years of Brexit-fueled tensions.

Their discussions are expected to focus on aid to war-torn Ukraine and bolstering defense spending, as well as joint efforts to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats — a potent political issue in Britain.

Calling the visit “historic,” Starmer’s office said it would showcase “the breadth of the existing relationship” between Britain and France.

Windsor pomp

Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane Tuesday at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.

In a stylistic nod to her guests, the princess wore a Christian Dior jacket.

A short time later Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, warmly welcomed the entourage to Windsor, amid a full display of British pomp and pageantry.

The Francophile king, who is believed to enjoy a warm rapport with Macron, could be seen chatting with him enthusiastically during their early interactions.

Charles made a 2023 state visit to France, one of his first after ascending the throne and widely regarded as a success.

After a 41-gun salute sounded from nearby Home Park and a royal carriage procession through the town, which was decked out in French Tricolores and British Union flags, the group entered the castle for lunch.

They will return there later for a state banquet in the vast medieval St George’s Hall, when in a speech Charles is set to laud the vital partnership between France and the UK amid a “multitude of complex threats.”

“As friends and as allies, we face them together,” he will say, according to Buckingham Palace.

Before that, Macron will follow in the footsteps of predecessors Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand by addressing lawmakers in the U.K. Parliament.

The visit also aims to boost trade and business ties, with Paris and London announcing Tuesday that French energy giant EDF will have a 12.5% stake in new British nuclear power plant Sizewell C.

‘Support for Ukraine’

On Wednesday, Macron will have lunch with Starmer and the two leaders will on Thursday co-host the 37th Franco-British Summit, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defense ties.

Britain and France are spearheading talks amongst a 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.

The two leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition on Thursday “to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia,” Starmer’s office confirmed on Monday.

They will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency.

Irregular migration is also set to feature in talks between Macron and Starmer.

The British leader is under intense pressure to curb cross-Channel arrivals, as euroskeptic Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party uses the issue to fuel its rise.

London has for years pressed Paris to do more to halt the boats leaving from northern French beaches, welcoming footage last Friday showing French police stopping one such boat from departing.

Meanwhile, Macron used the visit to announce that he will loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain.

It emerged in 2018 that he had agreed to loan the embroidery, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of England, but the move has since stalled.

The U.K. government said Monday that it continued to “work closely with our counterparts in France on its planned loan.”

—

By VALERIE LEROUX Agence France-Presse