Kisses, handshakes: British royals host friendly state visit for French president
The French first couple Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte garnered a full quota of royal pomp as Charles and Camilla's guests at the historic Windsor Castle, west of London
Francophile Charles and Macron have already met several times in recent years and enjoy a good relationship.
Underlining their ease in each other's company at the start of the visit -- before it takes a more political turn with an address to parliament -- their exchanges were demonstrably friendly and natural, despite the meticulously regulated protocol.
At their side, their wives Brigitte, wearing a white dress, and Queen Camilla in a bright green outfit appeared equally comfortable as they kissed each other.
Around noon, after a band played the French national anthem, the Marseillaise, the two couples climbed into royal carriages.
The king and Macron, both sporting blue suits, travelled in one while their spouses were in a second.
Behind the first couples, heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, followed.
After that came French culture minister Rachida Dati and defence minister Sebastien Lecornu.
The scene had a touch of deja vu for Dati who previously accompanied former president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni in 2008.
- Good rapport -
A large crowd of Windsor residents and tourists lined the way behind security barriers.
"It is really good, it is much nicer than going to London... it is a nice place to have a state visit," said Suzanne Gardener, a 64-year-old retiree who came with her husband to watch the procession.
Windsor and its castle, about 30 miles (48 kilometres) west of London, was a favoured residence of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth, who is buried in the castle's St George's Chapel, was known to favour the property over Buckingham Palace in central London which is currently undergoing renovations.
"I hope he (Macron) enjoys it, and his wife as well... I think they all get along well," added Gardener.
Arriving in the castle courtyard, the Marseillaise was played again by a regiment of the Scots Guards resplendent in their their famous tall bearskin hats, followed by God Save the King.
Then king, queen, the Macrons, William and Catherine then disembarked and took their positions for a royal salute.
The French president and the king then inspected the troops, as planes flew noisily over the castle which is located not far from Heathrow Airport.
- Red eye -
Charles nursed a visibly red eye, the result of a burst blood vessel, according to the palace.
As the two leaders prepared to join their wives, the French president narrowly avoided a breach of protocol when he nearly grabbed the king by the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Brigitte and Camilla chatted, smiling and clearly enjoying each other's company.
The three couples then headed for lunch at Windsor before they will be reunited for a state banquet on Tuesday evening, with around 150 guests.
The presence at the banquet of Catherine, also known as Kate, who is recovering from cancer, has not been officially confirmed by the palace.
Dressed in a pale pink Dior jacket and dress ensemble, the princess earlier accompanied Prince William to an airbase west of London to personally welcome the Macrons.
vl-mhc/har/jj/giv
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
an hour ago
- CNET
Prime Day Deal: You Can Grab a 4-Pack of Apple AirTags for Just $65, the Lowest Price Yet
Amazon Prime Day sale: Apple's AirTags are available right now on Amazon for $65 for a four-pack during Amazon's July Prime Day sale event. That brings them down to just over $16 each, which is the lowest price we've seen. Even though Prime Day ends on July 11, there's a chance that the stock on this deal will run out, so act while you can. Not long ago, as I waited at baggage claim after a trip to Paris, I became increasingly nervous as bag after bag dropped onto the carousel, none of them mine. I knew there was no need to panic, though. Back at Charles de Gaulle airport, I had dropped a sophisticated little tracking device into my trusty rolling suitcase before handing it over and heading to my gate. So, I pulled out my iPhone, and, with just a few taps, I could see that my bag had never left the City of Light. (Merde!) Over the years, I've come to depend on Apple's AirTags to keep track of many types of easy-to-lose valuables. They're not just good for luggage. I also use them to track wallets, bikes, keys and even my car. I tell everyone who will listen that you can never have too many of these handy devices. Here's how the Apple AirTag (like the one that was in my suitcase on that fateful trip) works. It uses an ingenious method of tracking itself, detecting its location from nearby iPhones and using them to anonymously piggyback the coordinates to a secure server where I could look it up on my iPhone. Until just a few years ago, this would have seemed like a scene straight out of a spy movie. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. Instead of wondering if my belongings were stuck on an abandoned luggage cart or strewn across the tarmac, I could see in almost real time that my suitcase was still chilling at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I was able to calmly tell the airline my bag didn't make the flight, and it made arrangements to have it delivered to me a few days later. Apple AirTags are all about peace of mind By itself, an AirTag isn't much. A smooth, round, 1.26-inch puck that looks like a glossy white breath mint, it sinks to the bottom of a bag or dangles from a key chain (with a compatible key ring, sold separately). It's meant to disappear. CNET Activating the AirTag was a simple process of pairing with my iPhone. And then, because it obviously doesn't really do anything out of the box, I forgot about it. But the next time I couldn't find my keys? Sorcery. My iPhone didn't just tell me they were somewhere nearby -- it walked me directly to them, thanks to the AirTag's built-in Ultra Wideband chip. Suddenly, all that time I'd spent retracing my steps and overturning couch cushions in the past felt like ancient history. Now I have AirTags in or attached to every significant item I'd want to keep track of: My everyday laptop bag, my camera backpack, the suitcase I use most when traveling, my key chain, my car and a smaller sling bag I take on walks. I can pull up the Find My app on any of my Apple devices (or sign in to iCloud on any web browser) and see where my items are and the last time the AirTags registered their locations. Clip an AirTag onto a bag or bury it in the depths. Sarah Tew/CNET AirTags aren't just for my everyday items. People I know in the movie business tell me that AirTags are tossed into nearly every bag and Pelican crate, not solely to ensure that the valuable equipment inside doesn't walk away but also to quickly differentiate equipment amid similar-looking containers. Some of my friends also attach AirTags to their pets' collars (though experts say there are better ways to track your pets). AirTags are also useful for things that you want to keep close by Being able to detect my luggage a continent away provided a sense of relief, to be sure. But at the local level, my AirTags will also trigger an alert when I get too far away from them. For example, if I accidentally forget my camera bag in the car when I stop somewhere for lunch, a Find My notification appears telling me I've left it behind. It works the same for newer AirPods models as well. Sharing is now a big part of AirTag tracking My family has two cars, and I wanted to be able to track them both. But it used to be inconvenient to pair the AirTag in the car my wife drives to her iPhone (and the one in my car to my iPhone). To guard against unwanted tracking, an AirTag will notify nearby iPhones of its existence, so whenever I drove my wife's car without her in it, I got a notification that an AirTag was traveling with me. (If the owner is near the AirTag, the alert does not appear.) However, ever since the release of iOS 17, AirTags are shareable, which solves this problem. I shared my AirTag with my wife, and she with me, so regardless of which car I'm driving, I can find it more easily in a crowded parking lot without getting constant, unnecessary alerts. Share an AirTag's location with someone you trust. Screenshots by CNET A more recent feature is the ability to temporarily share an AirTag's location with someone I trust. In my luggage example above, if the suitcase was in the airport with me, but the airport's staff hadn't yet been able to locate it (not uncommon during peak travel times), I could share its location with an attendant who could quickly retrieve it from areas inaccessible to the public. Apple Apple AirTag specs Diameter: 1.26 inches (31.9 mm) 1.26 inches (31.9 mm) Height: 0.31 inches (8 mm) 0.31 inches (8 mm) Weight: 0.39 ounces (11 g) 0.39 ounces (11 g) Splash, water and dust resistance: Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) Rated IP67 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes) Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0 Battery: Replaceable CR2032 coin cell battery The only minor annoyance about AirTags An AirTag includes Bluetooth, the U1 Ultra Wideband chip and an NFC chip to share basic details when it's in Lost Mode. That's all powered by a CR2032 coin cell battery, which in my experience lasts roughly a year before I need to replace it. I get notified when a battery is starting to get low, although there's no gauge to see how much is left until it goes into the red. And it's easy to change batteries. But my small fleet of AirTags means I need to swap multiple ones each year. I buy them in packs of 20 that I slowly work through. The CR2032 battery in an AirTag can easily be replaced. Patrick Holland/CNET AirTags also make great gifts Apple AirTags consistently appear in our gift guides throughout the year because you can always find another use for one. They're often reduced in price when sold in packs of four. And there's an ever-growing ecosystem of ways to mount them, from sturdy vaults that adhere to a car to discrete fabric holders that will keep your favorite classic bomber jacket from flying away. Whenever I show someone how I use AirTags on a bag or keychain, I kind of wish I had a pocket full of AirTags to hand out because once someone sees how it works, they're sold. When will this deal expire? We don't know how long this deal will last. We saw four-packs available at this discounted price earlier this year, but it could expire at any time without notice. I recommend placing your order while you can be sure to get this price, because I'm confident you'll find new uses for them once you have a few.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Doctors need to work with the NHS, not against it
Resident doctors have a strong case for a generous pay rise. Their average pay has fallen by one-fifth since 2008, taking inflation into account, even after last year's 5.4 per cent rise. But to demand a 29 per cent increase, and to rush into a strike ballot to support it, is a counterproductive and damaging tactic. Last year, they secured a better deal than most public-sector workers, and there were no strings attached requiring more efficient working practices. They should believe Wes Streeting when he tells them: 'You will not find another health and social care secretary as sympathetic to resident [formerly junior] doctors as me.' Mr Streeting secured a funding settlement for the NHS over the next four years that is generous compared with other departments. But a real-terms increase of 3 per cent a year is only around the long-run historical average. It is half the rate achieved in the New Labour years. So there is no scope for utopian pay settlements (such as the excessively generous GP contracts negotiated in Tony Blair's time). If the British Medical Association, the doctors' trade union, really wanted to promote the interest of its members, it would work with Mr Streeting to plot a gradual real increase in doctors' pay over the next few years allied to a plan to modernise the NHS and increase health service productivity. Instead, it is seeking to repel public opinion with the threat of another round of strikes in pursuit of a pay claim that most reasonable people regard as pie in the sky. Already public opinion is narrowly opposed to doctors being allowed to go on strike at all (opposed by 49 per cent to 44 per cent, according to YouGov), but the one thing that will ensure that the doctors lack public support is the demand for such an unrealistic increase. Of course, it is only the opening bid in a negotiation – but this is a negotiation with public opinion as much as it is with Mr Streeting. The BMA is pleased, as militant trade unions usually are, with the 'resounding majority' in favour of strike action in its ballot: 90 per cent certainly looks like an impressive mandate. But the turnout for that ballot was only 55 per cent, which means that just fewer than half of those eligible to vote supported strikes – a less than 'resounding' margin. This is not how the allocation of resources in a public health service should be decided. The idea that one NHS interest group should use its old-fashioned, Seventies-style industrial muscle to secure a larger share of a limited budget is one that belongs in the past. The very idea of the NHS is in danger. Years of Conservative underfunding have weakened it to the point that many younger people have become used to paying for private GPs and minor procedures. If the waiting lists left over from the coronavirus cannot be cleared, support for the idea of social insurance systems such as those formerly advocated by Nigel Farage will grow. Perhaps they should. Continental Europe seems to do well enough without a universal tax-funded model such as the NHS. But that is not what the BMA purports to believe. It believes in an NHS free at the point of need. And if its members believe that too, they should drop the threat of strikes and work with Mr Streeting to modernise the NHS and make it work.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Government urges Fujitsu to pay compensation to victims of Post Office scandal
Fujitsu has been urged by the Government to make interim compensation payouts to victims of the Post Office scandal. The call came as critics pointed out the Japanese tech giant had 'paid not one penny' for the 'havoc and misery that it helped to cause'. They also argued the under-fire company 'should be nowhere near' new Government contracts as it emerged it continued to secure lucrative multimillion-pound deals with Whitehall, bankrolled by the taxpayer. The company has already acknowledged it has a 'moral obligation' to contribute to compensation, pending the outcome of the public inquiry led by Sir Wyn Williams. The firm has come under renewed pressure after the publication of the first part of Sir Wyn's final report. It found around 1,000 people were wrongly prosecuted and convicted after Fujitsu's defective Horizon accounting system made it appear as though money was missing at their Post Office branches. Some victims were sent to prison or financially ruined, others were shunned by their communities, and some took their own lives. The long-running battle for justice accelerated dramatically after ITV broadcast the drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which highlighted the scandal. Sir Wyn said around 10,000 people are eligible to submit compensation claims following what has been dubbed as the worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Labour former MP Kevan Jones, who now sits in the upper chamber as Lord Beamish, has been a long-standing champion for the subpostmasters. He said: 'To date, the Government and taxpayers have paid over a billion pounds, quite rightly, to those victims. 'Fujitsu have not paid one penny piece. They may have a moral obligation, but moral obligations do not pay compensation.' He added: 'So when will the Government get on and force Fujitsu to act on its moral obligations, put its hands in its pockets and at least pay some interim payments? Responding, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said: 'With regards to the payments by Fujitsu, we urge them to make interim payments, but there are ongoing conversations with Fujitsu, including regular meetings with the Crown representative, the Cabinet Office and DBT (the Department for Business and Trade) and we will continue to have such meetings.' Conservative peer Lord Arbuthnot, who played a pivotal role in exposing the scandal, said: 'Fujitsu has paid not one penny towards the victims of the havoc and misery that it helped to cause. 'Is the Government – is the country – over a barrel to Fujitsu? If not, why is Fujitsu still winning government work? If we are, what are the Government doing about it?' Lady Anderson said: 'They have accepted that they have a moral obligation to give funds, but he will be even more aware than I am that we are yet to see a penny. 'Fujitsu have agreed that they will have to make a financial contribution, but I am urged not to give a running commentary, although we will welcome any interim payment in due course.' In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu's existing contracts, a further 12 new deals had been struck with the company over the last year. The Government has said the majority are for services already provided by Fujitsu and were put in place to ensure continuity of services. Liberal Democrat Lord Clement-Jones raised concerns over HM Revenue & Customs continuing to award contacts to Fujitsu. He said: 'In the light of the Horizon report, which condemns Fujitsu's conduct as a key contributor to the suffering of thousands of innocent people, isn't it already very clear that Fujitsu should be nowhere near any new contract?' Lady Anderson said: 'Some of this is about continuity of service, to make sure that we are still able to have business supply secured.' Given the 'human tragedies' caused by the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick pressed the minister over due diligence measures 'to ensure that contractors with a history of significant failures or legal issues can demonstrate that they have addressed these concerns before being awarded new contracts'. Lady Anderson said new procurement legislation provided buyers with more scope to exclude suppliers who had performed poorly on previous contracts. She added: 'Due diligence on such failures is also more straightforward as the act now provides for the sharing of information on poorly performing suppliers.' A Fujitsu spokesperson said: 'We remain committed to providing our full cooperation to the inquiry as Sir Wyn prepares his final report and we are engaged with Government regarding Fujitsu's contribution to compensation.' They added: 'We continue to work with the UK Government to ensure we adhere to the voluntary restrictions we put in place regarding bidding for new contracts while the Post Office inquiry is ongoing.'
