French President Emmanuel Macron was left awkwardly dropping his hand after his wife Brigitte appeared to ignore his offer of assistance while disembarking their plane for a historic three-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday.
The visiting leader was being welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales at RAF Northolt in West London when the incident occurred. As Mrs Macron walked down the aircraft steps towards the waiting royals, President Macron extended a helping hand, but she chose instead to hold the handrail, leaving the French leader to awkwardly withdraw his gesture before greeting Kate with a kiss on the hand.
Minutes later, the couple were observed in their car waiting to leave the airbase, with relations appearing frosty as Mrs Macron looked at her phone after retrieving it from her bag. The moment echoes a similar incident in May when Mrs Macron was filmed pushing her husband’s face away with both hands before disembarking a plane in Vietnam.
Previous Tensions Resurface
The latest awkward exchange comes just two months after the Vietnam incident that sparked considerable media attention in France. President Macron had dismissed that gesture as mere horseplay when caught on camera, but it caused sufficient stir for daily newspaper Le Parisien to ask: “Slap or ‘squabble’?
William and Kate greeted the French leader and first lady at approximately 11:30am before traveling with them to Windsor to meet King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The Princess of Wales made a diplomatic fashion statement, wearing a Christian Dior jacket from the fashion house’s 2024 collection, paired with Princess Diana’s old earrings and a pearl necklace from Queen Elizabeth II’s collection.
The Christian Dior piece, the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket, was reimagined by Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, drawing inspiration from the original created by Dior himself in 1947. Kate completed her ensemble with a hat by Jess Collett.
Formal Welcome at RAF Northolt
The King’s Colour Squadron formed a ceremonial welcome party at the airfield for the Macrons, who were initially received by the King’s Ambassador to France. Following their meeting with William and Kate, a series of dignitaries were presented to the French couple.
These included Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, Northolt station commander Captain Jonathan Hough, and Kathryn Colvin, Special Representative of the Foreign Secretary.
Also present in the welcome party were members of the British Suite including The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting, and Dame Menna Rawlings, Ambassador at Paris.
Historic Windsor Castle Ceremonies
After traveling to Windsor with Kate and William, the Macrons were formally greeted by Charles and Camilla on a Royal Dais constructed on Datchet Road, with Windsor Castle providing a majestic backdrop as gun salutes sounded in nearby Home Park.
The King, Queen, Waleses and the Macrons then took a carriage procession through Windsor and along part of the Long Walk leading to the castle, following the same route taken by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy during his 2008 visit.
This marks the first state visit to the UK by an EU head of state since Brexit, highlighting its diplomatic significance. The visit, running from Tuesday until Thursday, represents the first state visit to be hosted at Windsor Castle rather than Buckingham Palace in more than a decade, since Irish president Michael D Higgins’ visit in 2014.
Strengthening Franco-British Relations
At tonight’s glittering state banquet in Windsor Castle, King Charles will stress the vital partnership between France and the UK in confronting a “multitude of complex threats.” The monarch will deliver a speech highlighting how “these challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time.
The King will tell President Macron that Britain and France can help lead the way in addressing threats relating to defense, 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 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, revealing how he remains “in awe of France’s extraordinary attributes and achievements.”
Windsor Prepares for Historic Visit
The streets of Windsor were decorated with French and Union flags in celebration of the state visit. Giant Tricolores hung from posts along the High Street, where litter-pickers worked in the sunshine to ensure the route was pristine. Roads along the ceremonial route closed from 8:45am.
Security was heightened with an enhanced police presence and teams inspecting the area around the castle, checking locations such as flower planters. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said it was “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.
Packed Diplomatic Schedule
A ceremonial welcome will be staged in the castle’s quadrangle with Camilla, William, Kate and Mrs Macron watching as the King and President Macron inspect the Guard of Honour. Lunch will be hosted in the State Dining Room, after which the presidential couple, the King and Queen and members of the royal family will view a special exhibition of items relating to France from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room.
The Macrons will also travel to London this afternoon to visit the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, where the French leader will address parliamentarians before meeting opposition leaders at Lancaster House.
State Banquet Details
The King and President will both deliver speeches at tonight’s banquet in the medieval St George’s Hall, where approximately 160 guests will be seated at the elaborately decorated 50-meter table running the full length of the vast room.
State visits, which capitalize on the royals‘ soft power to strengthen diplomatic ties overseas, will be hosted at Windsor for the next few years while reservicing work continues at Buckingham Palace and begins to affect the state rooms.
The arrangements are likely to form the template for US President Donald Trump’s high-profile state visit in September, though much will depend on security considerations for the American leader, who survived an assassination attempt last year.
The last state visit to the UK from France was in March 2008 when the now-disgraced Nicolas Sarkozy, since convicted of corruption and influence peddling, and his wife Carla Bruni were guests of Elizabeth II at Windsor.
On Thursday, Macron will join a UK-France Summit at Downing Street, marking a significant moment in post-Brexit relations as both nations seek to strengthen their historic alliance in the face of contemporary challenges.
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Image Credit:
Emmanuel Macron – Image by Présidence de la République française, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
