The King and Emmanuel Macron demonstrated the entente cordiale still remains strong between the UK and France as the French president began his state visit.
The two heads of state gave public displays of warmth and affection, with Mr Macron air kissing the hands of the Queen and Princess of Wales, while he put a comforting hand on the King’s back during his ceremonial welcome.
Charles kissed the hand of the president’s wife Brigitte Macron, affectionately pulling it up to his lips, and was seen in deep conversation with the French leader during a carriage ride through Windsor, part of the pomp and pageantry afforded the president.
Windsor Castle is the setting for the start of Mr Macron’s three-day state visit that has an important political backdrop, with the president and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer leading a Franco-British summit later this week that is likely to have action on Channel migrants top of the agenda.
Mr Macron arrived in the UK promising “concrete, effective and lasting” co-operation on migration and is under pressure to do more to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.
The last French president to make a state visit to the UK was the now-disgraced Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2008 and Windsor has not hosted a visiting head since 2014, when Irish President Michael D Higgins travelled to the UK.
State visits capitalise on the royals’ soft power to strengthen diplomatic ties with allies and Charles and Camilla warmly greeted the French leader and the first lady on a specially constructed Royal Dais near the town’s Windsor and Eton Riverside train station, as a 41-gun salute thundered across the town.
Mr Macron rolled out the Gallic charm by taking Camilla’s hand and leaning forward to air kiss it, having earlier greeted Kate at RAF Northolt in north-west London with the same gesture, after the Prince and Princess of Wales had the duty of meeting them when their plane arrived.
There were la bise kisses between Mrs Macron and the Queen, and as Mr Macron stood chatting to the King with ease, the president placed his hand on the monarch’s back and gave it a few affectionate rubs.
The King was sporting a burst blood vessel in his right eye, which is said to have developed overnight and be unrelated to any other health conditions.
A carriage procession was staged through the streets of Windsor, with Charles and the president riding past Windsor Guildhall, where the King married his consort in 2005, followed by their wives and behind them William and Kate in another carriage.
The pomp and pageantry saw more than 950 servicemen and women from all three armed services, and 70 horses, taking part in the ceremonial welcome, from troops lining the carriage procession route to a guard of honour featuring guardsmen from two of the British Army’s oldest regiments the Grenadier Guards and Scots Guards.
Mr Macron inspected the troops with Major Jake Sayers of the Grenadier Guards, captain of the guard of honour, accompanied by the King who followed tradition and walked a few paces behind.
When the royal party left for a private lunch the King, Queen and President Macron and his wife walked four abreast in step with each other as Kate and William followed.
The Entente Cordiale was signed between UK and France in 1904 and ushered in improved relations between the two nations, who had fought against each other during the Napoleonic Wars.
After his coronation the King, accompanied by the Queen, carried out a state visit to France in September 2023.
