Macron state visit: King and Queen welcome French president — watch live
The pair were flanked by security guards as they were met at the entrance gates by representatives from the Anglican church.
The French president is viewing the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, whose body was brought from France to be buried at the Abbey in 1920.
Macron laid a wreath next to the tomb and a prayer was read out remembering all those who have given their lives for their country in wars.
After enjoying a private lunch in the castle's state dining room, the King and Queen escorted their guests into the green drawing room of Windsor Castle.
Among the items laid out for President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, was a bottle of Louis XIII Cognac in a Baccarat Crystal decanter, as served to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during the July 1938 state visit, and later to Queen Elizabeth II in April 1957.
The King was heard joking that his guests should have a glass of the vintage Cognac.
The French couple were also shown a 1632 second folio of 36 Shakespeare plays, complete with notes in the margin written by Charles I. Brigitte Macron was seen delighting over miniature books that were a part of Queen Mary's doll's house.
Sir Keir Starmer will urge President Macron to agree a 'one in, one out' migrant returns deal on Tuesday, despite warnings that announcing it before it is ready will lead to a surge in crossings.
The prime minister is pressing for the deal as the centrepiece of a new agreement between Britain and France that the two leaders will sign at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday.
The arrangement would allow Britain to return small boat migrants to France in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with a family connection in the UK.
However, British and French officials are yet to finalise the details as the French president's three-day state visit begins on Tuesday.
• Read in full: Keir Starmer to push Macron for last-minute migrant return deal
Amid the pomp and ceremony surrounding Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to the UK there is business to be done. Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping to use the event to make significant progress in three broad areas — illegal migration, nuclear power and defence.
This one appears likely to go down to the wire. Starmer is attempting to secure a 'one in, one out' deal with France that would allow the UK to send migrants who cross the English Channel on small boats back to France.
One of the centrepieces of Macron's visit is the Sizewell C plant in Suffolk, only the second new nuclear power station to be built in a generation in the UK. EDF, the French-owned state energy company, owns a 15 per cent stake in the project.
• Read in full: Macron's visit could shape key areas of UK policy
The King appeared to be suffering from a bloodshot eye as he met President Macron. The Times understands it is a burst blood vessel which is not said to be connected to any health conditions.
With President Trump's America straining at the leash of the transatlantic alliance and President Putin's revanchism threatening eastern Europe, the two nations of the entente cordiale have rarely needed each other more, certainly not since the conclusion of the Second World War. They lead Europe's two indispensable, nuclear-armed militaries.
But when Macron and Sir Keir Starmer chair the 37th Franco-British summit this week, it will be an encounter between floundering leaders of floundering countries whose relations have been routinely prickly, not least when they were pledging undying friendship.
• Read in full: Discontent cordiale: why Britain and France need each other more than ever
In his speech at the banquet on Tuesday evening, the King will say that today's challenges 'know no borders' and that 'no fortress' can protect a country as it did in the past. He is also expected to reflect on 1,000 years of 'shared history and culture between our two peoples'.
Charles will add: 'Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. As friends and allies, we face them together.'
The King will say that the UK and France can confronting joint challenges because 'our two nations share not only values but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world'.
The three couples — the King and Queen, the Princess and Prince of Wales and the Macrons — stood side by side for the national anthems of France and the UK.
They then spent a few minutes greeting a line-up of dignitaries before splitting into carriages to ride through Windsor.
The King and President Macron sat together in the first carriage, the 1902 State Landau, immediately seen deep in conversation.
The Queen and Mrs Macron followed in the Semi-State Landau behind, looking around them as cheers could be heard in the distance and beginning to wave at those assembling at the side of the road.
The Prince and Princess of Wales sat together in a third carriage, an Ascot Landau, with France's armed forces minister, Sebastien Lecornu, and the French culture minister, Rachida Dati.
The King was wearing a new button on his lapel, which is the 'boutonnière' of the legion d'honneur, France's highest honour. It was awarded to Charles in 1985.
The Macrons received the warmest and most tactile of welcomes from the royal family, who swapped kisses and affectionate pats on the arm as they greeted one another on the royal dais in Windsor.
The King kissed Brigitte Macron on the hand, while President Macron kissed the Queen's hand.
At one point Camilla appeared to imitate riding a horse, which made Mrs Macron laugh.
Camilla kissed her step son Prince William and his wife the Princess of Wales on the cheek.
The King and Queen have arrived at a dias on Datchet Road, Windsor, where they await the arrival of President Macron and his wife Brigitte.
In between the ceremonial welcome, lunch with the royal family and the banquet at Windsor Castle, there is government business for President Macron in Westminster, where the president will address MPs and peers in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords.
• Macron's state visit: Border, energy and security deals on the table
Macron's visit will culminate in a UK-France summit during which he and Sir Keir Starmer hope to reach an agreement on migrant Channel crossings.
A royal salute will be fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from the East Lawn at the Windsor Great Park while another will be fired simultaneously at the Tower of London.
Arriving at the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle, the French president, accompanied by the King, will inspect a guard of honour. On Tuesday evening, a state banquet will be held in their honour at Windsor Castle.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived at RAF Northolt to welcome President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
Kate was wearing an outfit from French fashion house Christian Dior and a hat by Jess Collett.
Her earrings belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, and the pearl necklace was from the late Queen's collection.
The Christian Dior jacket is the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket and a piece from the 2024 collection. It was reimagined by Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was inspired by the original first created in 1947 by Christian Dior himself.
President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have arrived in the UK for the first French state visit since 2008 and the first by the head of a European Union country since Brexit.
At the start of the three-day tour, the Macrons were greeted at RAF Northolt by the Prince and Princess of Wales. They will travel to Windsor where they will join the King and Queen for a carriage procession through the streets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
The significant sum spent by Glasgow on hotels for homeless
That amounts covers April 1, 2025 to June 1, 2025, and therefore the annual sum will be significantly higher. Private companies running the hotels were paid in excess of £122 million over the last five years. The city spent £36,122,088 in the 2024-25 financial year up to February 2025, according to the Glasgow Times. That is more than double the £16,320,680 spent by council officials in 2021-22. So, what is behind the hefty cost? Read more: Simply put, Glasgow City Council does not have enough homes to use as emergency accommodation, but the authority is duty bound to help those impacted by homelessness. The council told The Herald it uses more than 50 hotels to accommodate those who fall under this criteria, while also using in excess of 2,600 places of emergency accommodation within temporary accommodation and supported accommodation. Freedom of information data requested by the Scottish Tenants' Association found that 2,117 homeless people were living in a hotel or B&B on June 9, 2025. That includes 322 women and 86 families with children. But it also includes 1,527 refugees who have been given 'leave to remain' in the UK. Leave to remain allows non-UK citizens to reside in the UK indefinitely. Read more: Local authorities across the country have faced intense housing demands in recent years following changes to the UK Government's asylum system. Once a leave to remain decision is granted to an asylum applicant, they must leave Home Office funded accommodation and must present to the council as homeless. Glasgow alone witnessed a 96% increase in homelessness applications from households granted leave, up from 1,300 in 2022-23 to 2,600 in 2023-24. However, that has a knock-on effect on housing supply, leading the local authority to rely on hotel accommodation, which can be classed as unsuitable. The use of hotels meant Glasgow City Council has breached the unsuitable accommodation order 1,465 times between January 1 2025 and June 9 2025. However the reliance on hotels more widely is caused by a shortage of housing in Scotland, with the government declaring a national housing emergency in May 2024. Guidance from Shelter Scotland suggests hotel use for homeless individuals should be limited to seven days. Unsuitable accommodation can include overcrowding or leaving residents with limited space and limited or shared access to kitchen, toilet and living space. Glasgow City Council told The Herald it was "duty bound" to provide temporary accommodation however the authority admitted that increased demand mean there "are times when we haven't been able to do so". A spokeswoman said: "This happens when there is no accommodation available despite using more than 50 hotels to accommodate those who we have a duty for. 'We purchase a high number of hotel and bed & breakfast accommodation as we attempt to meet the extraordinarily high demand for accommodation to avoid people having to sleep rough. We also use in excess of 2600 places of emergency accommodation within temporary furnished flats and supported accommodation. 'There is no quick alternative. We are in continual dialogue with both Governments about these challenges and to seek the additional resources necessary to address the challenges we are facing.'
Sky News
4 hours ago
- Sky News
Starmer aims to break cabinet away day curse
Sir Keir Starmer was hoping to break the curse of the cabinet away day as he summoned his ministers to Chequers for the launch of a summer "refresh" of his troubled government. The aim: to plot a course for a recovery during Labour's second year in power after a first 12 months blighted by economic woes, rows over freebies, humiliating U-turns and rebellions. In the past, the away day rules from the No 10 high command have included no woolly jumpers and no sandwiches. This time, the rule to ministers was: "Don't call it a reset." The curse of this away day could turn out to be the threat of a looming ministerial reshuffle, which some MPs predict could come as early as next week. Could some of those present face the axe? According to the official readout of Sir Keir's away day, the prime minister chaired a session on how the government will use AI "to turbocharge its Plan for Change". But that was just a small part of the discussions. Top of the agenda for a "political cabinet", without civil servants, were the storm clouds over the economy and the options for Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her make-or-break autumn budget. And based on the experience of previous cabinet away days, from Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown to Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the omens were not good. Away days may seem like a good idea at the time, but most end badly. The idea of Chequers away days has been to hold a brainstorming session in the privacy of the Buckinghamshire countryside without distractions or prying photographers, reporters or TV crews. But over the years, like most family get-togethers, there have been personality clashes, squabbles about what to eat and what to wear, disputes about who takes centre stage, and even backstabbing and walkouts. The last Chequers cabinet away day, held by Mr Sunak in January 2023, took place with two senior figures facing official investigations. Tory chair Nadhim Zahawi was engulfed in a tax scandal and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab was facing bullying allegations. Mr Zahawi was out within a week after this away day and Mr Rabb within three months. Without doubt, the most disastrous cabinet awayday at Chequers was in July 2018, when Ms May thought she'd persuaded her cabinet to back her Brexit deal. Then, as now, the heat was sweltering. But two days later, David Davis quit as Brexit secretary and Mr Johnson - who was said to have proposed a champagne toast to the prime minister at Chequers - resigned as foreign secretary the following day. Ms May thought she had a deal that would keep the UK closely tied to the EU's customs union and single market. But it was doomed even during that away day. It was reported that ministers were warned that anyone who resigned would have to walk a mile down the drive and get a lift home with the local taxi firm, whose cards had been left in the foyer. When he resigned, Mr Davis was said to have been livid about hostile briefing from senior figures in Downing Street about how the Brexiters would be treated at Chequers, including the taxi threat. And Mr Johnson not only launched a "Chuck Chequers" campaign opposing Ms May's deal, but also a campaign to chuck her out of Downing Street and seize her job for himself. As prime minister, he also held a cabinet awayday, not at Chequers, but at a pottery in the heart of the "red wall" in Stoke-on-Trent, in 2022. The venue might have been different, but that was cursed too. Just weeks later Mr Johnson's cabinet shattered like broken Wedgwood china following the resignations of Mr Sunak and Sajid Javid. The modern trend for cabinet away days was started by Sir Tony - who else? - in 1998. The rules for ministers were laid down by his chief of staff Jonathan Powell, now Sir Keir's national security adviser. In a memo to cabinet ministers attending, he wrote: "TV will film people arriving and going, so there can be no woolly jumpers." Mr Powell was rebuffed by Sir Tony, however, when he suggested in a memo to the prime minister that Mr Brown should start the meeting with a discussion on the economy. "No," Sir Tony replied bluntly in a handwritten note. Peter Mandelson, now Britain's ambassador in Washington, demanded "something nicer than sandwiches" for lunch and got his wish when a buffet was laid on. Sir Keir's Chequers away day also began with lunch, then the short formal cabinet meeting with the discussion about AI, then the political cabinet, which was the real reason for the away day. No need for woolly jumpers in the 32C heat. Just don't call it a "refresh".
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN GLOVER: Britain is broken. Wherever you look the State is failing. In many ways the mess is worse than in the 1970s - when Labour last ruined the country
Nearly 40 years have passed since Norman Tebbit, who died this week, was a power in the land. He was one of a handful of outstanding Conservative Cabinet ministers who gave Margaret Thatcher vital support in her crusade to save Britain from the depredations of socialism. Tebbit wasn't an intellectual. He didn't even go to university. But he understood with greater clarity than grander Tories with Oxbridge degrees how militant trade unions were destroying this country. His greatest achievement was to curb their excesses.
