Macron visits UK to renew ties with King Charles

French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday, which saw him address parliament and rekindle a purportedly warm relationship with King Charles III.

Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted off the presidential plane at an air base northwest of London by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Macron hailed an “important moment for our two nations” on X.

“Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture,” he posted, vowing to “deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way”.

The French leader will hold several meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who promised to reset relations with European capitals when he took power in 2024 after years of Brexit-fuelled tension.

Their discussions are expected to focus on aid to war-torn Ukraine and bolstering defence spending, as well as joint efforts to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats – a potent political issue in Britain.

It is the first state visit by an EU head of state since the UK’s acrimonious 2020 departure from the bloc, and the first by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.

Calling it “historic”, Starmer’s office said the visit would showcase “the breadth of the existing relationship” between Britain and France.

It added that Starmer would “aim to drive forward progress on tackling irregular migration, enhancing our defence and security co-operation and boosting trade and investment”.

The king made a 2023 state visit to France, one of his first after ascending the throne and widely regarded as a success.

The French leader and his wife are to enjoy various displays of British pomp and pageantry including a banquet at the castle.

“Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. As friends and as allies, we face them together,” King Charles is due to tell Macron at the banquet, according to a press release from Buckingham Palace.

“Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world.”

Macron followed in the footsteps of predecessors Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand by addressing lawmakers in the UK parliament.

On Wednesday, Macron will have lunch with Starmer and the two leaders will also co-host on Thursday the 37th Franco-British Summit, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defence ties.

Britain and France are spearheading talks amongst a 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.

The two leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition on Thursday “to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia”, Starmer’s office confirmed on Monday.

They will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency.

Irregular migration is also set to feature in talks between Macron and Starmer.

The British leader is under intense pressure to curb cross-Channel arrivals, as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party uses the issue to fuel its rise.