King Charles and Queen Camilla host glitzy state banquet as they welcome Macrons to Windsor Castle

King Charles and Queen Camilla have kicked off President Macron’s state visit to the UK with a glitzy state banquet at Windsor Castle this evening.

In the spirit of the Entente Cordial, the Royal Household has collaborated with Chef Raymond Blanc OBE, an Ambassador for The King’s Foundation, to create a First Course and Dessert for the menu tonight.

Guests will dine on a selection of pre-dinner canapes, Assiette de Légumes d’Été, Vinaigrette de Tomates Crues, Huile d’Olive Vierge, and a selection of tender summer vegetables from the gardens of Le Manoir with sage, raw tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil dressing.

Also on the menu are Suprême de Poulet Fermier à l’Argenteuil, Supreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, Le Cassis and to wash it all down: Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly and Café et Petit Fours.

After dinner, guests will be served Taylor’s 1977 Vintage Port and a 1948 Grande Champagne Cognac by Frapin & Co, selected to reflect the years of The President’s and His Majesty’s birth in 1977 and 1948 respectively.

A cocktail has also been created for the occasion, called L’entente, combining British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.

Hand-picked, seasonal flowers, including roses and herbs from the gardens at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, as well as flowers and lavender from The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park, are arranged in silver-gilt centrepieces taken from the Grand Service.

On the conclusion of the Banquet, flowers that cannot be reused are donated to Floral Angels, a charity based at the New Covent Garden Flower Market in London whose patron isHer Majesty The Queen. These flowers are delivered to hospices, elderly care homes, shelters, and many other deserving beneficiaries within the local community.

The Royal Highland Fusiliers 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of ScotlandFollowing the State Banquet, Their Majesties, The President and Mrs. Macron and guests will move to the Music Room for a performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

The Orchestra will perform three pieces: Fackeltanz No.4, by Meyerbeer; Chanson de Matin, by Elgar; and Scylla et Glaucus, Act IV, Scene V: Airs de Demons, by Leclair.

The music for this special performance was arranged from the original scores by Welsh musician and composer, John Quirk. The performance will be conducted by Ryan Bancroft, Principal Conductor, BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

It comes as President Macron earlier today enjoyed a carriage procession through Windsor with the Royal Family.

King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled with him and his wife through the town and along part of the Long Walk which leads to the castle, just as former French president Nicolas Sarkozy did on his visit in 2008.

The King and Mr Macron waved from the 1902 State Landau to crowds gathered on the streets, followed by Camilla and Mrs Macron in the Semi-State Landau.

The processional route, lined through the town by the armed forces, took in Datchet Road, Thames Street High Street, Park Street, Cambridge Gate, George IV Gateway to the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.

When the procession swept into the castle, an array of military units were in position waiting to take part in the ceremonial welcome.

Central was the guard of honour formed by two of the British Army’s oldest regiments: Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards and F Company Scots Guards with the state colours of the regiments.

Mr and Mrs Macron were joined by the King and Queen on a dais, with William and Kate stood nearby.

As the President and King stood waiting for their wives to join them, they shared a few words and Mr Macron warmly touched the King’s back.

The pomp and pageantry featured the Military Knights of Windsor by the castle’s sovereign’s entrance, a detachment of the Household Cavalry nearby and outside the equerries’ entrance was the King’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard.

After the royal salute was given by the soldiers on parade and the French national anthem was played, Major Jake Sayers, captain of the guard of honour, spoke in French to President Macron.

He told the visiting head of state: “Your excellency, the guard of honour of the Grenadier Guards and Scots Guards is present and ready for your inspection.”

The French leader was joined by the King as he walked past the guardsmen formed in two lines on the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, as the Massed Band of the Grenadier Guards and the Scots Guards played L’Entente Cordiale.

Earlier, William and Kate greeted the Macrons at about 11.30am and travelled with them to Windsor to meet the King and Queen Camilla for a carriage procession.

The Princess was wearing a Christian Dior jacket, a hat by Jess Collett, Princess Diana ‘s old earrings and a pearl necklace from Queen Elizabeth II ‘s collection.

The Christian Dior jacket is the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket from the 2024 collection. The piece was reimagined by Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri who was inspired by the original, which was first created in 1947 by Dior himself.

The King’s Colour Squadron formed a carpet welcome party at the airfield for the Macrons, and they were initially welcomed by Helene Duchene, the King’s Ambassador to France .

After meeting William and Kate, a series of dignitaries were presented to the French couple including Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London.

Others included Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and Northolt station commander Captain Jonathan Hough along with Kathryn Colvin, Special Representative of the Foreign Secretary .

Also in the welcome party were members of the British Suite including The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting; and Dame Menna Rawlings, Ambassador at Paris.

After the Macrons travelled to Windsor with Kate and William, Charles and Camilla formally greeted their guests on a Royal Dais constructed on Datchet Road in the town – with Windsor Castle in the backdrop as gun salutes sound in nearby Home Park.

The King was seen with a small burst blood vessel in his right eye which made it look red. It is understood this happened by accident overnight, and is not related to his cancer treatment.

The King and Queen had arrived by car at Dachet Road in Windsor after travelling from the castle ready to meet the Macrons.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the state limousine made its way slowly down to the dais to the sound of the national anthem.

The Queen was wearing a bright emerald green chiffon dress by Anna Valentine and a hat by Philip Treacy. Camilla was also wearing an emerald and diamond brooch that belonged to the late Queen.

The Macrons swapped kisses and affectionate pats on the arm as they greeted one another on the royal dais in Windsor.

The King kissed Mrs Macron on the hand, while President Macron kissed Queen Camilla’s hand

The Queen and Mrs Macron, who have met many times before, talked with their heads together like old friends.

Mrs Macron greeted her with ‘la bise’ – the customary French greeting of a double cheek air kiss.

The President leaned over to grasp William’s arm as they talked, while the King reached out to Kate with a hand as they said hello.

The Princess curtseyed to the King twice for good measure, seemingly unsure that he had seen it the first time, and performed the same ritual for the Queen before kissing her on the cheek.

At one point Camilla appeared to imitate riding a horse, which made Mrs Macron laugh.

The Princess of Wales gave a deep curtsy to both the King and Queen and Camilla greeted the Prince and Princess of Wales with a kiss on the cheeck.

William, talking to Mr Macron, appeared to point towards the turret of Windsor Castle in the distance, where they will join their guests for lunch and tonight’s state banquet later on.

Finally, as the Franco-British introductions wrapped up, William kissed his stepmother Camilla on the cheek, leaning over to avoid knocking her hat.

The three couples, who stood side by side for the national anthems of France and the UK, spent a few minutes greeting a line-up of dignitaries before splitting up into carriages.

Later, the King will stress the vital partnership between France and the UK in the face of a ‘multitude of complex threats’ at the state banquet in honour of Mr Macron, declaring ‘as friends and as allies, we face them together’.

At a glittering banquet at Windsor Castle this evening, the monarch will deliver a speech, highlighting how ‘these challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time’.

But he will tell Mr Macron that Britain and France can help lead the way in confronting threats relating to defence, technology and climate change, saying: ‘Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world.’

Charles and Camilla are hosting Mr Macron and the first lady at the historic royal residence.

The King, in his toast, will reflect on 1,000 years of ‘shared history and culture between our two peoples’, including many of the royal family’s personal connections to France.

‘For centuries our citizens have admired each other, amused each other, and imitated each other’, he will say, and reveal how he remains ‘in awe of France’s extraordinary attributes and achievements’.

Charles will also hail the Anglo-French partnership as vital amid the many challenges of today, saying: ‘Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. As friends and as allies, we face them together.’

It marks the first state visit to the UK by an EU head of state since Brexit, and will see Mr Macron address parliamentarians in the Palace of Westminster’s Royal Gallery and, on Thursday, join a UK-France Summit at Downing Street.

Security was heightened with an enhanced police presence and teams inspecting the area around the castle and checking locations such as flower planters.

Blue, white and red flowers in two large urns in honour of the King’s French guests decorate the specially constructed red-carpeted royal dais outside Windsor and Eton Riverside station.

Cleaners were seen vacuuming the steps of the covered structure, which offers a view of the castle where the famous round tower was flying a celebratory oversized Royal Standard.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said: ‘We are working closely with Thames Valley Police, the Crown Estate and other key partners, to minimise disruption to those that live and work in, or plan to visit Windsor’.

Mr Macron said his visit to the UK was ‘an important moment for our two nations’ as he promised ‘effective’ action on issues including migration.

He said: ‘The United Kingdom is a strategic partner, an ally, a friend. Our bond is longstanding, forged by history and strengthened by trust.

‘Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture.

‘These are all areas in which we seek to act together and deepen our co-operation in a concrete, effective and lasting way.’