Emmanuel Macron was welcomed to Windsor Castle for a glittering banquet on Tuesday, as he was pictured clinking glasses and winking at royals.
The French president sat amongst the likes of Mick Jagger and Elton John at the star-studded event on the first day of his state visit to the UK.
The Princess of Wales was dressed in a dark red silk Givenchy gown as she sat next to Mr Macron for her first state banquet since her cancer diagnosis.
The president was pictured winking and chatting with Kate as she sat next to Mr Macron wearing her favourite Lover’s Knot tiara – a piece much loved by Diana, Princess of Wales.
The princess and and her husband, the Prince of Wales, were pictured smiling and gazing at each other as they arrived together, walking side by side before the banquet at the castle.
They were joined by other members of the royal family including the King and Queen, plus some 160 guests, in Windsor Castle’s impressive St George’s Hall.
The King was seated between Mr Macron and French culture minister Rachida Dati, while Kate was on the other side of the French president.
The Queen was on the other side of the table, between Brigitte Macron and French armed forces minister Sebastien Lecornu. On the other side of Mrs Macron was heir to the throne William.
Staff said the table had taken six days to set up, with a highly polished table running the length of the room, decorated with hand-picked seasonal flowers and herbs from palace gardens.
The menu, which was written in French as is the custom for state banquets, began with a selection of tender summer vegetables from the Gardens of Le Manoir with Sage, Raw Tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing.
The next course was Supreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, followed by Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly for dessert.
In a tradition started by the King, a cocktail was also created specially for the occasion, this time called L’entente.
It combined British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.
Both the monarch and President delivered speeches at the event, where prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was also present.
The King joked 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 most famous for his time with Arsenal, scoring at Highbury.
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 King also spoke of more serious matters including the deepening co-operation between the UK and France that will protect against “profound challenges” such as terrorism, organised crime and “irregular migration” across the English Channel.
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”.
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.
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.
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”.
Other notable invitees who turned out for the glittering banquet with Charles, were actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, authors Joanne Harris and Sebastian Faulks and sculptor Sir Antony Gormley.
Sir Mick, whose formal white place card read “Sir Michael Jagger”, was seated between Dame Kristin and Alice Rufo, director general for international relations and strategy of the French ministry for the armed forces.
Sir Elton, who has severe vision issues after contracting an eye infection, was seated next to his husband, rather than apart which is usually the custom for couples at royal banquets.
Also making an appearance was First Dates’ Fred Sirieix, as well as the French singer Mika, who was sat next to the Duchess of Edinburgh.
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