Princess makes state banquet return in ‘entente cordiale' charm offensive
The Princess, wearing a deep red gown and tiara, was seated next to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, as both listened intently to the King as he honoured his guests with compliments and a little light teasing.
The Royal family had spent the day hosting Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte for their state visit, with the Princess making a welcome high-profile return for the full event alongside her husband, the Prince of Wales.
After a day of double kisses on the cheek, the Royal family members and Macrons were joined by a host of celebrities for the lavish state dinner at Windsor Castle.
The King's speech took in 1,000 years of shared history between Britain and France, with asides from mayonnaise to baguettes, the Norman conquest to Asterix, the French comic book character.
'We would not be neighbours if we did not have our differences,' he said, with 'amicable competition and occasionally even, dare I say, confusion' across cultures.
The King also suggested that the famous 'entente cordiale' should now be upgraded to the 'entente amicale': a lyrical gesture of cross-Channel friendship.
Over a Franco-British menu created and overseen by Raymond Blanc, the King raised a toast to his French guests during a speech which mixed flattery and fun with a more serious message.
Speaking partly in French to 'Monsieur le President', the King said: 'The summit that you and the Prime Minister will hold in London this week will deepen our alliance and broaden our partnership still further.'
Adding a list of specifics, from the Armed Forces to artificial intelligence, he added: 'Our security services and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organised crime, cyber attacks and irregular migration across the English Channel '.
Guests at the banquet in Windsor Castle – the first held there since 2014 – were serenaded by an orchestra playing an array of music from Vivaldi to pop star Dua Lipa, as well as Daft Punk, the French electronic duo, and songs from the musical Les Miserables.
After dinner, port and cognac from the years of the King and president's respective births were served.
Continuing a recent tradition introduced during the King's reign, an in-palace mixologist created a bespoke cocktail to reflect the visitors' culture: this time, the 'L'Entente' combined British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.
Guests at the banquet include Sir Michael Jagger, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Sir Elton John and David Furnish, writers Joanne Harris and Sebastian Faulks, artist Antony Gormley, England goalkeeper Mary Earps, and Fred Sirieix, the French star of British television programme First Dates.
The table arrangement at Windsor Castle, set out in one long sitting, saw Mr Macron placed between the King and the Princess of Wales, while Mrs Macron was seated between the Queen and Prince of Wales on the other side.
Addressing his guests, the King said: 'Of course, we would not be neighbours if we did not have our differences. This is a relationship built not only on co-operation and mutual fascination, but also on amicable competition and occasionally even, dare I say, confusion.
'The indomitable Gaul, Asterix himself, and no doubt many of his compatriots since, struggled to comprehend our beloved 'tasse de the avec un nuage de lait' taken at precisely five o'clock in the afternoon... just as we find it impossible to bake a baguette quite as well as your artisans make in France.'
Speaking of the 'remarkable rapprochement' in recent years despite the 'profound' cultural 'differences that may never be overcome', he joked: 'This evening we have drunk English sparkling wine made by a French Champagne house. This would have been scarcely believable to at least some of our predecessors.'
The King also quoted Sir Winston Churchill, Shakespeare and Charles de Gaulle, alluded to both the Windsor Castle and Notre Dame fires, and spoke warmly of his own state visit to France in 2023.
He added: 'My firm belief is that friendship between Britain and France is vital if the liberties and peace of Europe are to be preserved.
'Therefore, as we dine here in this ancient place, redolent with our shared history, allow me to propose a toast to France and to our new entente. An entente not only past and present, but for the future – and no longer just cordiale, but now amicale.'
The banquet ended the first full day of the French state visit, which began with a thoroughly British welcome which quickly turned French.
From the moment the Mr and Mrs Macron landed at RAF Northolt, greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, there were double kisses on the cheek, kisses to the hands, and manly pats on the back and shoulder all around.
The King and Queen officially welcomed Mr and Mrs Macron to Windsor at midday, in another tactile encounter in the bright sunshine.
Mr Macron embarked on his own charm offensive with the Queen and Princess of Wales, kissing their hands, while Mrs Macron leaned in to Queen Camilla for what seemed to be a catch-up with an old friend – which at one point involved her mimicking the action of riding a horse.
The Princess curtseyed to the King twice, apparently unsure if he had seen the gesture of respect the first time.
She embraced what has become known as 'diplomatic dressing', honouring the French guests by choosing to wear Christian Dior, while the Queen appeared to take inspiration from the late Elizabeth II by wearing unusually bright green to be seen in the crowd.
Meanwhile, the King was seen to have a burst blood vessel in his right eye, said to be 'one of those things' that had developed overnight and was unrelated to any other health conditions.
After hearing the national anthems of France and the UK, the Royal family and Macrons split into pairs to step into carriages for the journey through Windsor.
The streets were lined with tourists and locals, some of whom waved flags and cheered as the official party rode past.
The procession finished in the Windsor Castle Quadrangle, where the King joined the French president to inspect the troops as the Massed Band of the Grenadier Guards and the Scots Guards played L'Entente Cordiale.
The music also featured traditional marches and music from France, including Marche Lorraine, La Pere de la Victoire, and Marche Militaria La Ronde.
Members of the wider Royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Gloucester, joined the King, Queen, Prince, Princess and Macrons for lunch in the State Dining Room, before going on to view items from the Royal Collection.
Walking around the bespoke exhibition in the castle's Green Drawing Room, the King joked that Mr and Mrs Macron might like to sip a vintage Cognac as he showed them a bottle of Louis XIII Cognac in a Baccarat Cristal decanter once served to his grandparents and his parents during the 1938 and 1957 state visits.
On Wednesday, after sleeping in the private apartments of Windsor Castle, the Macrons will lay flowers in St George's Chapel for the late Queen before rejoining the King and Queen to view a horse given to her by France.
For the evening event, the Princess of Wales wore a dark red silk creponne gathered evening gown, with caped back detailing, designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy. Burton designed the then Catherine Middleton's wedding dress, and now works for the French fashion house.
The Princess accessorised with the Lover's Knot tiara, the Royal Family Orders of King Charles III and Elizabeth II, earrings which once belonged to the late Queen, and the GCVO sash and star.
Mr Macron spoke partly in English for his own address, in which he relayed his thanks for the King's 'great courtesy' which he called 'testament to your friendship with France' – and raised his own laugh with a literary reference to 'Mr Darcy'.
He also spoke warmly of Elizabeth II, repeating his words after her death to tell the Royal family and British guests: 'To you, she was your Queen; to us, she was The Queen'.
Summing up the relationship between Britain and France, he said: 'When our Sense and Sensibility overcome our Pride and Prejudice, we are unstoppable.'
Finishing his speech, Mr Macron turned to the King to address him directly.
'Now you have created the entente amicale,' he said. 'The entente amicale will be launched in Windsor in 2025 and we want to believe in this new era.'
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