Royal carriage and pomp: Charles III welcomes Macron to Windsor with defense and immigration on the agenda

LondonBritish pomp and the magnitude French troops have met this Tuesday in Windsor. With 41 salutes and The Marseillaise, King Charles III and Queen Camilla received shortly after midday the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte Macron, in the first State visit of a French leader since 2008 and also the first of a Head of State of the European Union since Brexit. A ride in an open-top carriage – Macron and the King in one, and the Queen and Brigitte Macron in another; followed by a third with Prince William and Kate Middleton – through the streets of a fairy-tale village that did not hesitate to take to the streets to watch the spectacle was the first of three days of intense diplomatic and political events, which will culminate on Thursday with a summit with the Prime Minister of Samaj.

At the meeting in Downing Street, the common defense of Europe and immigration will set the agenda. premier The British hope to secure headlines that will allow them to counter the negative reports of recent days regarding the increase in arrivals of boats across the English Channel.

Early this afternoon, Macron will address the Westminster Parliament—to the MPs and the Lords—and in the evening, at a royal banquet, Charles III will say, according to excerpts released by the British press, that "there are no borders" between the United Kingdom and France in their shared efforts.

Turning the Page on Brexit

Macron's trip is laden with symbolism. On the one hand, to jointly confront the aforementioned "complex threats," with more than three years of war in Ukraine. On the other hand, also to definitively turn the page on the tensions caused by Brexit, which led to remarkable episodes: for example, when Macron called Boris Johnson a "clown" (December 2021) or when weeks before she was appointed premier, Liz Truzz said (August 2022) that "the jury is still out on whether the French president was friend or foe."

In fact, shortly before landing in the United Kingdom, Macron commented that the prime minister had pledged to "explore new means of cooperation" with the European Union, statements that will put all Brexiteers on guard. "The willingness expressed by the United Kingdom to strengthen ties with the Union is a powerful signal, which I welcome," said the president. "It collectively commits us to exploring new means of cooperation that respect our mutual interests."

Separately, Macron will also offer flowers this afternoon at the statues of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square and at the statue of Charles de Gaulle in Carlton Gardens, right across from the headquarters of Free France during World War II. An offering that will evoke the Paris-London alliance – both nuclear-armed powers in Europe – between 1939 and 1945.

Therefore, during his speech, the king will highlight the vital importance of collaboration between both countries in the face of challenges "that arise from multiple directions", and that... two nations that share not only common values, but also the tireless determination to act accordingly in the world." Charles III He visited France on one of his first trips abroad after to be crowned.

After the restart of the relations between the European Union and the United Kingdom fostered by the Labour government At a summit in London in mid-May, Macron and Starmer have been working for some time on an agreement under which France would accept the return of migrants who have crossed the English Channel illegally in small boats, in exchange for the United Kingdom taking in a similar number of legal asylum seekers from France, provided they have family.

British and French authorities have not yet finalized all the details of the agreement, which could be threatened by the opposition of a group of five Mediterranean countries—Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus—who fear that a bilateral framework for action on immigration between London and Paris. Furthermore, the British Border Force warns that rushing to announce an agreement before it can be implemented could trigger an even greater increase in migrant crossings this summer.

For his part, Macron is expected to formally announce the implementation of a new French maritime law that will allow French law enforcement and the French Coast Guard to intercept migrant boats in the English Channel and return them to French territory. Indeed, last week, in front of BBC cameras, members of the gendarmerie pricked rubber dinghies with knives as they were barely putting to sea to prevent them from leaving. Today, the number of migrant arrivals in 2025 has reached an annual record: 21,017 people, 50% more than at this time in 2024.