Macron to travel to UK for French state visit in July

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the UK for a state visit in July, Buckingham Palace has announced.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the president and his wife Brigitte Macron at Windsor Castle on a visit from 8 July to 10 July.

The King and Queen had paid a state visit to France in September 2023, which was seen as a diplomatic success in helping to rebuild relations after Brexit.

Such visits are a "soft power" opportunity to strengthen trade, cultural and defence ties, in this case with an important European partner.

The state visit will be hosted in Windsor Castle while building work is carried out at Buckingham Palace.

That means relocating traditional elements like the state banquet, which in recent visits has been held in the Buckingham Palace ballroom.

President Macron's trip follows the visit by the King and Queen to France, which sought to strengthen diplomatic and defence ties.

King Charles received a standing ovation from the French Senate, after a speech in which he spoke strongly in support of Ukraine, after the "horrifying" invasion by Russia.

As well as set-piece occasions at the Arc de Triomphe and a banquet at the Palace of Versailles, the King went to see environmental projects and a food market in Bordeaux.

The forthcoming visit by Macron will be seen as a further effort to reinforce links with a European ally, against a background of uncertainty about negotiations over Ukraine and the threat of tariffs from the United States.

Overseas heads of state are invited to visit the King on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The announcement of a French state visit suggests that the King is keeping up a full schedule, as he continues to receive treatment for cancer.

Last month, the King and Queen went to Italy on a state visit, drawing enthusiastic crowds in Rome and Ravenna, on a trip that coincided with their 20th wedding anniversary.

The royal visitors also had a private meeting at the Vatican with the late Pope Francis.

The King will also be going to Canada this month for the state opening of Parliament in Ottawa, the first time a monarch has attended in almost 50 years.

It will be seen as a show of support for Canadian independence, after calls by President Trump for Canada to become the US 51st state.

In a diplomatic balancing act, there is also an invitation for President Trump to make a second state visit to the UK, with President Trump recently suggesting that a visit could take place in September.

It is understood that the French visit was already being planned before the extra invitation was extended to President Trump, making this an increasingly busy year for international royal engagements.

The last state visit to the UK by a French president was in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.

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