PRINCESS Kate and Prince William will roll out the red carpet for Emmanuel Macron and a Windsor carriage ride today.
The French president, and his wife Brigitte, are set to be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales at RAF Northolt this morning.
GettyMacron will be welcomed by King Charles and Queen Camilla in Windsor[/caption] GettyThe Monarch is then set to hold a state banquet where he will hail the relationship between France and the UK[/caption] GettyThe Prince and Princess of Wales will join the King and Queen on their carriage ride to Windsor Castle[/caption]Kate, who has opened up about the “difficult phase post-treatment” after her cancer diagnosis, will be carrying out her royal duties as part of a “gradual return”.
Kensington Palace has yet to confirm whether or not the princess will attend the banquet in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall in the evening.
It comes as Kate has “to find the right balance” on returning to full time duty.
Macron will then be welcomed by King Charles and Queen Camilla in Windsor ahead of a landmark speech.
A carriage procession with the royals to Windsor Castle will unfold through High Street and up the Long Walk, with roads along the route set to close from 8.45am.
Security was heightened with an enhanced police presence and teams inspecting the area around the castle and checking locations such as flower planters.
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”.
This afternoon a ceremonial welcome will take place at the castle, and inspection of the Guard of Honour.
The French president will then have lunch with the Royal Family, ahead of wreath laying at West Minister Abbey.
This is to honour the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, before Macron will deliver an address to Parliamentarians in the Royal Gallery at the Palace of Westminster.
The leader will later greet Kemi Badenoch and Sir Ed Davey at Lancaster House.
The Monarch is then set to hold a state banquet where he will hail the relationship between France and the UK in the face of a “multitude of complex threats”.
Mr Macron’s state visit to the UK, from July 8 to 10, is the first to be hosted at Windsor Castle, rather than Buckingham Palace, in a more than a decade.
It is also the first French state visit to the UK in 17 years since that of the now disgraced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.
In a personal touch, the King and Queen will, tomorrow show the Macrons Fabuleu de Maucour.
The 10-year-old grey gelding was gifted by Mr Macron to known horse-lover, late Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Fabuleu de Maucour belonged to the largely ceremonial French Republican Guard and was trained to carry the standard-bearer.
They will also view a Charabanc carriage from the Royal Mews, which was a present to Queen Victoria from King Louis-Philippe of France in 1844.
And the Macrons will privately pay their respects at the late Queen’s tomb in St George’s Chapel by laying flowers in tribute.
Charles will later give the president a tour of the Windsor Castle Gardens.
And, the arrangements for this state visit are likely to form the template for US President Donald Trump’s high-profile visit in September.
Downing Street said on Monday the UK’s relationship with France was “key” to dealing with boat crossings, following reports French police officers had used knives to puncture a boat off the coast.
This comes after Princess Kate opened up about her post-treatment journey last week.
The Princess visited RHS Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital, in Essex.
She met with NHS workers and planted some of her ‘Catherine’s Rose’ plants in the recovery garden.
Kate spoke about life after cancer treatment, and told staff: “You know I think there’s a lot of brave faced stoicism through treatment, but then treatment’s done.
“I think the phase afterwards is really difficult, I mean, you know, you’re not necessarily in a clinical team any longer, but you’re not able to function normally at home as you once used to.
“And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that phase that comes after treatment, I think it’s really valuable to have a space like this here for patients.”
She added: “But it’s life changing for anyone, through first diagnosis or post treatment and things like that, it is life changing experience both for the patient but also for the families as well.
“And actually it sometimes goes unrecognised, you don’t necessarily, particularly when it’s the first time, appreciate how much impact it is going to have.
“You have to find your new normal and that takes time…and it’s a roller coaster it’s not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be.
“But the reality is it’s not, you go through hard times and to have a place like this to have the support network, through creativity and singing or gardening whatever it might be is so valuable and it’s great this community has it, it would be great if lots of communities had this kind of support.”
Kate announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024 after abdominal surgery at The London Clinic in January that year.
She finished chemotherapy in September and announced she was in remission in January of this year.
GettyQueen Camilla, King Charles III, President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron at the Élysée Palace on September 20, 2023 in Paris, France[/caption] GettyCamilla and Macron at the UK Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion’s commemorative event in June last year[/caption] Read More Details
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