King speaks of UK and France's deepening co-operation amid ‘profound challenges'
The King also spoke of the growing environmental threat where the 'very future of our planet hangs in the balance' and the UK and France have a 'critical role to play'.
The King with France's President Emmanuel Macron at the state banquet at Windsor Castle, Berkshire (Aaron Chown/PA)
Charles's comments were made at a Windsor Castle state banquet where Sir Mick Jagger and fiancee Melanie Hamrick were among the guests alongside Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish and actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas.
The King told the guests, who included the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and senior members of the Cabinet: 'Monsieur le President, the summit that you and the Prime Minister will hold in London this week will deepen our alliance and broaden our partnership still further.
'Our armed forces will co-operate even more closely across the world, including to support Ukraine, as we join together in leading a Coalition of the Willing in defence of liberty and freedom from oppression; in other words, in defence of our shared values.'
The Prince and Princess of Wales at the state banquet for President of France Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at Windsor Castle (Chris Jackson/PA)
He went on to say: 'Our security services and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organised crime, cyber attacks and of course irregular migration across the English Channel.
'And our businesses will innovate together, generating growth, trade and investment for our economies and across the world.'
Earlier in a speech to MPs and peers, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a 'burden' to both countries.
President of France Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attend a ceremony at the Statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, central London (Carlos Jasso/PA)
He told the gathering in Parliament: 'France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness.'
Decisions at Thursday's UK-France summit will 'respond to our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues'.
In his speech Charles described the UK's closest continental neighbour as 'one of our strongest allies' and said in the face of 'complex threats' France and Britain 'must help to lead the way'.
There were lighter moments, with the King joking about the popular French cartoon character Asterix the Gaul's incomprehension about Britons' love of tea with a splash of milk, and how dinner guests had drunk 'English sparkling wine made by a French Champagne house'.
And he described the 'perfect combinations' of French and British – Monet's paintings of London fog and Thierry Henry, a former French striker with London football club Arsenal, scoring at Highbury.
The King speaking at the state banquet at Windsor Castle (Yui Mok/PA)
The French president even winked at the King when Charles mentioned the cultural ties between the UK and France and how a Frenchman, William the Conqueror, began building Windsor Castle more than 900 years ago and his son William has made Windsor his home.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were also among the guests, as were former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, authors Joanne Harris and Sebastian Faulks and sculptor Sir Antony Gormley.
Mr Macron also delivered a speech mostly in French but in English he spoke about France's loan of the Bayeux Tapestry which will go on display at the British Museum next year.
He said: 'For the first time in 900 years the Bayeux Tapestry will follow the same path as the warriors whose stories it tells and land on British soil.
President of France Emmanuel Macron speaking at the state banquet at Windsor Castle, Berkshire (Aaron Chown/PA)
'Either they were never made or they were lost – those final scenes of the tapestry are missing.
'I see that as (an) even more powerful symbol in the great mural of Franco-British history, the end has yet to be written.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Starmer and Macron to meet at No 10 amid push for French help on small boats
The French president arrived on Tuesday for the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit. It comes as the UK has been pressing for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast. The Prime Minister hopes to strike a 'one in, one out' deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link. Alongside Downing Street talks, Sir Keir and Mr Macron are also expected to attend a reception with UK and French businesses and an event at the British Museum on Wednesday. Their spouses, Brigitte Macron and Lady Victoria Starmer, will have tea and a tour of Downing Street together, followed by all four having lunch. While they are being hosted by the King at Windsor, the Macrons will lay flowers on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II and see Fabuleu de Maucour, a horse the French president gave Elizabeth in 2022 to mark her Platinum Jubilee. In a speech to MPs and peers on Tuesday, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a 'burden' to both countries. He said France and the UK have a 'shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness'. Decisions at a Franco-British summit on Thursday will respond to 'our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues', Mr Macron added. The French denied a Telegraph report that Mr Macron blames the UK for the crisis. A senior Elysee source said: 'The French president looks forward to working with the Prime Minister constructively on this shared priority.' Last week, the total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year passed 20,000. The total now stands at more than 21,000, a record for this point in the year. Sir Keir and the French president are also expected to co-host a meeting of the 'coalition of the willing', the peacekeeping mission proposed to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer and Macron to meet at No 10 amid push for French help on small boats
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will hold talks at No 10 as the UK pushes for France to do more to stop migrant crossings. The French president arrived on Tuesday for the first state visit by an EU head of state since Brexit. It comes as the UK has been pressing for tougher action from the French authorities on the beaches along the Channel coast. The Prime Minister hopes to strike a 'one in, one out' deal to send small boat migrants back to the continent, in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have a British link. Alongside Downing Street talks, Sir Keir and Mr Macron are also expected to attend a reception with UK and French businesses and an event at the British Museum on Wednesday. Their spouses, Brigitte Macron and Lady Victoria Starmer, will have tea and a tour of Downing Street together, followed by all four having lunch. While they are being hosted by the King at Windsor, the Macrons will lay flowers on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II and see Fabuleu de Maucour, a horse the French president gave Elizabeth in 2022 to mark her Platinum Jubilee. In a speech to MPs and peers on Tuesday, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a 'burden' to both countries. He said France and the UK have a 'shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness'. Decisions at a Franco-British summit on Thursday will respond to 'our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues', Mr Macron added. The French denied a Telegraph report that Mr Macron blames the UK for the crisis. A senior Elysee source said: 'The French president looks forward to working with the Prime Minister constructively on this shared priority.' Last week, the total number of people crossing the Channel in small boats this year passed 20,000. The total now stands at more than 21,000, a record for this point in the year. Sir Keir and the French president are also expected to co-host a meeting of the 'coalition of the willing', the peacekeeping mission proposed to be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Newspaper headlines: Horizon scandal's 'tragic toll' and 'sacked Gregg'
Horizon scandal's 'tragic toll' and 'sacked Gregg' Just now Share Save Share Save BBC The Post Office Horizon IT scandal dominates many of Wednesday's front pages, with the first report from the official inquiry finding it had a "disastrous" impact on those wrongly accused and prosecuted for criminal offences. Sir Wyn Williams' report found at least 59 people had contemplated suicide at various points, of whom 10 attempted to take their own lives, and more than 13 people may have killed themselves over the scandal. The Daily Mail leads on the reaction to Sir Wyn's report as campaigners say the Post Office has "blood on its hands". Catherine, Princess of Wales, also graces the front page as she attends the state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte at Windsor Castle. The Post Office scandal is also splashed across the Daily Express, highlighting the impact it had on the lives of those caught up in it. And while Catherine is featured too, the paper is pointing out her "new look hairstyle" ahead of the state banquet. A tribute to the late Norman Tebbit, who served as a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's government, is also featured at the bottom of the page. The Horizon scandal is covered on the front page of the Times, but it is the vote for strike action from resident doctors in England that is leading the paper. The government made clear a pay rise was off the table after the British Medical Association said 55% of its 48,000 resident doctor members had voted in the ballot with 90% supporting industrial action. The doctors were awarded a 5.4% pay rise for this financial year, following a 22% increase over the previous two years. The Prince and Princess of Wales are pictured together for the state banquet for Macron, who earlier warned that Britain and France were dangerously dependent on the US. The Metro also leads on the first volume of Sir Wyn's report on the Horizon scandal, which found victims had divorced, suffered serious mental health issues and alcohol addiction as a result of their ordeals. The Post Office apologised "unreservedly" and said it would carefully consider the findings. Macron's state visit to the UK and a proposed deal on the small boats crisis lead the Daily Telegraph. The paper reports that the French president is demanding Sir Keir Starmer make Britain less appealing to Channel migrants to secure a "one in, one out" agreement. Gregg Wallace's sacking from MasterChef is also covered on the front page. The presenter was fired as a result of an inquiry into alleged misconduct, BBC News understands. It comes as 50 more people have approached the BBC with fresh claims about the TV presenter. Wallace denies the claims. The Sun has splashed Wallace's sacking on the front page, with the presenter accusing BBC News of "uncorroborated tittle tattle" in its reporting. The inquiry into allegations against him, conducted by an independent law firm on behalf of MasterChef's production company Banijay, is expected to report back imminently. In a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday, Wallace said he had been cleared by that report of "the most serious and sensational allegations" made against him. BBC News has not seen the Banijay report. Wallace insists he won't be "cancelled" after his sacking, the Daily Star reports on its front page. For 20 years, Wallace was one of the most high-profile presenters on British television and the face of the BBC One cooking show. But he stepped aside from the show in November after the BBC's initial investigation at the end of last year, when 13 people accused him of making inappropriate sexual comments. The Guardian is leading its front page with plans to be published on Wednesday designed to save the criminal justice system from total collapse. The paper reports that thousands of cases that would normally be heard in front of a jury should be decided by judges alone, according to recommendations made by a former senior judge. Sir Brian Leveson was asked by the Lord Chancellor to come up with a series of proposals to reduce the backlog of cases in the criminal courts. There are almost 77,000 cases waiting for trial in the Crown Court in England and Wales - meaning some defendants and victims are waiting years for justice. The Financial Times is leading with a debt warning from the independent budget watchdog, which says the UK faces "daunting" risks to the public finances. The OBR says the country's soaring debt load has led to "substantial erosion" of its capacity to respond to future shocks.
