King Charles hosts France's Macron in first European state visit since Brexit

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00Britain's King Charles is welcoming the French President Emmanuel Macron to Windsor Castle today

00:04for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit

00:07in a trip aimed at celebrating the return of closer political ties between the countries.

00:12The grand ceremonial event for first for Macron,

00:15who appears to enjoy something of a good personal relationship with the King.

00:19The last state visit to Britain by a French President was right back in 2008

00:24when Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of the late Queen Elizabeth.

00:28We're going to cross live into London, speak to our correspondent Ewe Amaric,

00:32who joins us from there.

00:33Ewe, give us some of the flavour, the pomp and the circumstance, first of all, about this.

00:38What does it all entail, this state visit?

00:42Well, this is a rare privilege for a political leader to be invited by the King and Queen.

00:50This is very much a celebration of symbolism.

00:54It's a celebration of the new warmth of relations between the UK and France post-Brexit.

01:02Of course, there will be pomp and circumstance.

01:05Although it's Prince William and Princess Kate who will welcome President Macron and his wife at the airport.

01:14It's very much the King and the Queen who will walk out of Windsor Castle

01:18to officially welcome them in the UK.

01:21They will be offered, President Macron and his wife will be offered to board a carriage with horses

01:29to tour around Windsor, the royal town of Windsor.

01:34There will be a military parade.

01:36There will be lunch.

01:38And then, later on in the evening, there will be a banquet, a state banquet,

01:44where both the King and the President will be expected to speak before 150 guests.

01:52We had to decline the invitation because we, France 24 reporters,

01:56have to stay here outside Parliament to keep you updated on the next part of the visit this afternoon

02:03when the President, President Macron, comes to visit Westminster Abia here on my side

02:08and then speaks to both houses of Parliament behind me.

02:13Yeah, a very colourful event, I'm sure, Ewe.

02:15But what's the point of it all?

02:17I mean, there have, as you say, been stronger relationships between France and the UK,

02:21perhaps under the UK's new government there?

02:23Yes, the second and third day, President Macron will stay most of the time,

02:31will be hosted by the Prime Minister.

02:34That will happen in Downing Street.

02:35There will be a working lunch.

02:37And then there will be a full-blown summit, French-British summit,

02:41with half a dozen ministers of each side.

02:43They will be discussing international issues, that you can imagine.

02:47I've been on their menu that both countries are facing,

02:50and both countries are hoping to focus on the same ones.

02:54That's what we're being told.

02:56There will be, of course, you know, the issues such as energy.

03:00There will be the war on Iran, the war in Gaza.

03:03And there will be, particularly, a summit that will start in Downing Street

03:08and will finish in the NATO command base in Northwood, north of London,

03:14where they will be discussing the coalition of the winning to support Ukraine.

03:21There will be a video conference organized between the President and the Prime Minister

03:27from the NATO base with Rome, where President Zelensky and other leaders

03:32will be talking very much on these issues of European defense,

03:37which, of course, is at the heart of the discussions,

03:41France and the UK being the two main allies, the two nuclear powers in Europe.

03:47So European defense is basically their call.

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