King to highlight UK-France bond over shared global challenges
King Charles is set to affirm the UK's important partnership with France in the face of a “multitude of complex threats” at the state banquet on Tuesday.
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The King is to host French President Emmanuel Macron at Windsor Castle, as Mr Macron begins his three-day state visit to the UK.
With his wife Brigitte to Windsor Castle, Mr Macron is expected to hear the King and Queen declaring that, “as friends and as allies" the UK and France face a number of "threats" together.
The banquet, taking place in the evening, will see the monarch deliver a speech highlighting how “these challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time”.
But he will tell Mr Macron that Britain and France can help lead the way in confronting threats relating to defence, technology and climate change, saying: “Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world.”
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Mr Macron and the first lady will be feted with a carriage ride through the town, a ceremonial welcome and the opulent state dinner.
The King, in his toast, will reflect on 1,000 years of “shared history and culture between our two peoples”, including many of the royal family’s personal connections to France.
“For centuries our citizens have admired each other, amused each other, and imitated each other”, he will say, and reveal how he remains “in awe of France’s extraordinary attributes and achievements”.
Charles will also hail the Anglo-French partnership as vital amid the many challenges of today, saying: “Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions.
“As friends and as allies, we face them together.”
It marks the first state visit to the UK by an EU head of state since Brexit, and will see Mr Macron address parliamentarians in the Palace of Westminster’s Royal Gallery and, on Thursday, join a UK-France Summit at Downing Street.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has signalled a “reset” in relations between the UK and Europe as he looks to heal the wounds caused by the Brexit years.
Defence, growth, security, migration and French tactics on tackling small boats will also be discussed, with the two leaders expected to dial in to speak to other allied nations who are looking to support any future peace deal in Ukraine.
Downing Street said on Monday that the UK’s relationship with France was “key” to dealing with boat crossings, following reports French police officers had used knives to puncture a boat off the coast.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will also play a role by meeting the president and the French first lady at RAF Northolt on Tuesday morning on behalf of the King and travelling with them to Windsor.
Charles and Camilla are then expected to formerly greet their guests on a Royal Dais constructed on Datchet Road in Windsor town centre, with the castle in the backdrop as gun salutes sound in nearby Home Park.
The last state visit to the UK from France was in March 2008 when the now-disgraced Mr Sarkozy, since convicted of corruption and influence peddling, and his wife Carla Bruni, were the guests of Elizabeth II at Windsor.
The arrangements are likely to form the template for US President Donald Trump’s high-profile state visit in September, but much will depend on security considerations for the US leader, who survived an assassination attempt last year.
Mr and Mrs Macron will also travel to London on Tuesday afternoon to see the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey and visit the Palace of Westminster where the French leader will address parliamentarians before meeting opposition leaders at Lancaster House.