French President Emmanuel Macron to make state visit to UK in July

French President Emmanuel Macron will make a state visit to the United Kingdom in July, Buckingham Palace has announced, as the two countries seek to bolster ties to counter Russian aggression and the economic fallout from US President Donald Trump’s aggressive new trade policy.

Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will stay at Windsor Castle during the visit, which will take place from 8-10 July.

The dates mean that Macron will likely beat Trump to London. King Charles III invited the US president in February to make an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, but no date has been set yet.

King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled to France in September 2023 in a visit that highlighted the historic ties between Britain and its closest neighbour on the European continent.

That trip came after years of sometimes prickly relations strained by Britain’s exit from the European Union and amid ongoing disagreements over the growing number of migrants crossing the English Channel on small boats.

Speaking to French lawmakers in the Senate chamber in Paris on the second day of that visit, King Charles said the alliance between the two countries was more important than ever as he recalled how they had worked together to defeat Nazi Germany.

King Charles was a frequent visitor to France before becoming king, making 35 official visits to the country as heir to the throne.

The last time a French head of state made a state visit to Britain was in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, were the guests of Queen Elizabeth II.

State visits are ceremonial meetings between heads of state that are used to honour friendly nations and sometimes smooth relations between rivals.

While the king formally issues the invitation for a state visit, he does so on the advice of the elected government.

State visits to Britain are particularly prized by some heads of state because they come with a full complement of royal pomp and circumstance, including military reviews, carriage rides and a glittering state banquet hosted by the monarch.

The events normally take place in and around Buckingham Palace in central London.

But the Macrons will stay at Windsor Castle, to the west of the capital, as Buckingham Palace is currently undergoing extensive remodelling.