Windsor Castle is set to host the latest chapter in a century-old tale of cross-Channel diplomacy, as King Charles III welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron for a state visit steeped in history, ceremony, and symbolic friendship. According to Times UK, the three-day visit underscores the enduring significance of the Entente Cordiale, the 1904 agreement that marked a turning point in Anglo-French relations.
The state visit will begin at RAF Northolt, where the Prince and Princess of Wales, accompanied by their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—will greet the Macrons before travelling together to Windsor. The families will then participate in a ceremonial carriage procession through Windsor’s historic streets.
At the heart of the visit lies a carefully curated display of royal tradition and Franco-British symbolism. Gun salutes, formal banquets, and rare royal carriages will greet the French guests. Among the highlights will be a viewing of the Charabanc carriage—originally gifted by King Louis-Philippe of France to Queen Victoria in 1844—and the presentation of Fabuleu de Maucour, the horse President Macron gave to Queen Elizabeth II for her Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
President and Mrs Macron will also lay flowers at the tomb of the late Queen at St George’s Chapel, paying homage to her enduring role in Franco-British relations. A source close to the event noted that Brigitte Macron, eager to blend with her British hosts, requested to be addressed as “Mrs Macron” rather than “Madame Macron” during the visit. She reportedly shares a friendly rapport with Queen Camilla, particularly over shared literacy initiatives, while the President and King Charles are said to bond over environmental concerns, shaped in part by their engagements at COP climate summits.
While the diplomatic pageantry is meticulously planned, Times UK notes that certain awkward historical moments will be tactfully left unspoken—such as “le slap,” when Brigitte Macron was seen lightly striking her husband’s face during a visit to Hanoi in May. Instead, the focus will be on unity, culminating in an Anglo-French themed banquet menu.
Macron, who has often styled himself as a monarchic figure, is expected to feel at ease in the regal surroundings. In a 2016 essay, he wrote: “The figure of the king, whose death I fundamentally believe the French people did not want,” hinting at the lingering royalist sentiment in France since the Revolution. Journalist and royal expert Marc Roche told Times UK that Macron’s fascination with monarchy mirrors a broader French obsession with British royalty. “Macron acts like a king—perhaps even more than a king—because he holds executive power, which the King of England doesn’t,” Roche said.
Roche, who has chronicled decades of Franco-British royal encounters, recalled some less-than-smooth moments in the past. President Hollande, for example, once left Queen Elizabeth waiting during a D-Day event and famously failed to sip from his glass during a toast, which some interpreted as a diplomatic slight. Others, like President d’Estaing, endeared themselves with quirks—he was gifted an English-speaking Labrador named Samba by the Queen in 1976, a cheeky nod to their language barrier.
In contrast, President Sarkozy’s 2008 visit to Windsor went smoothly, aided in part by his wife Carla Bruni’s charm and her admiration of the Queen’s fluent French. However, even then, small mishaps occurred—Bruni reportedly noted the bathwater in their royal suite was not “very clear.”
King Charles’ own relationship with France is deeply personal, shaped by years of visits and a bond with former President Chirac, who played a key role during the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris. Charles’ French is said to be “even better than his mother’s,” and he is expected to highlight the deep-rooted ties in his banquet speech, echoing Queen Victoria’s hosting of Napoleon III at Windsor Castle in 1855—the first modern state visit.
While the current visit celebrates shared heritage, it also serves a strategic purpose. President Macron will address the House of Commons and meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at No 10 for a UK-France summit, aimed at reinforcing modern bilateral cooperation.
As Times UK reports, this carefully choreographed display of unity comes ahead of another high-profile visit later this year—President Trump’s return to Windsor in September. With his security entourage likely to challenge royal traditions, the Macrons’ visit offers a timely reminder of how royal spectacle and diplomatic finesse can still go hand in hand.
More than 120 years after the Entente Cordiale was signed, this week’s events in Windsor show that soft power, pageantry, and personal connection remain vital tools in sustaining one of Europe’s oldest alliances.
