Banquets, speeches and migration: Day one of Macron's UK state visit
Sky News
July 8th, 2025
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King Charles said the UK and France stand 'ever closer' as he hosted Emmanuel Macron at Windsor Castle for a state banquet.
Earlier, the French president laid wreaths at war memorials and addressed peers and MPs inside the Houses of Parliament.
Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/politics-l...
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Peter Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
Transcript
- 0:00
- And here comes the president of France.
- 0:12
- Over
- 0:21
- the events recently, the president of
- 0:24
- France has got to know members of the
- 0:25
- royal family extremely well, as he's
- 0:27
- received there by the Princess of Wales.
- 0:36
- There's much diplomatic
- 0:40
- responsibility now on the governments of
- 0:42
- both countries to use this state visit
- 0:46
- as an opportunity to increase
- 0:49
- relationships in order to make sure that
- 0:52
- later on the actions between the two
- 0:55
- nations work particularly well. The
- 0:57
- Prince of Wales is introducing amongst
- 0:59
- others the Lord Lieutenant of Greater
- 1:01
- London, Sir Kenna Lisa, and also the
- 1:05
- chief of the Metropolitan Police,
- 1:09
- the officer commanding
- 1:14
- the station at North who is responsible
- 1:18
- for making sure this reception works
- 1:19
- well, and the lord in waiting for his
- 1:23
- majesty the king who will be in the
- 1:25
- suite.
- 1:30
- Lord Alenbrook who is a knight of the
- 1:33
- garter and has been asked by the king
- 1:36
- with his wife to take responsibility and
- 1:39
- also we see there the king's ambassador
- 1:41
- to the to France
- 1:46
- Mrs. rulings. She of course has done
- 1:48
- much to make sure that this state visit
- 1:51
- works well.
- 2:00
- The president of France speaks English
- 2:02
- extremely well, but all those gathered
- 2:03
- here are equally well-versed in it. the
- 2:08
- commander of the
- 2:11
- King's Color Squadron
- 2:13
- giving the salute as those from the
- 2:17
- King's Color Squadron now provide this
- 2:21
- carpet lining party to the Royal Car and
- 2:24
- the Prince of Wales and the President
- 2:26
- will travel together to the reception
- 2:29
- ceremony just underneath Windsor Castle,
- 2:31
- the state Bentley
- 2:34
- with the crown shield and the flag
- 2:38
- of the Republic of France.
- 2:45
- You'll notice, as is tradition, when the
- 2:47
- car comes to a halt, the chauffeer
- 2:49
- removes his hat in salute.
- 2:56
- It's about a 20inut journey to the
- 2:59
- fields below Windsor Castle where
- 3:04
- for many years now state visits that
- 3:06
- occur at Windsor Castle have the formal
- 3:08
- reception and ceremonial.
- 3:16
- There will be an observance of the
- 3:17
- strict timings. So they will be given a
- 3:21
- signal when to get into the cars and
- 3:23
- other members of the suite will move to
- 3:25
- the cars following in order to leave
- 3:28
- precisely on time.
- 3:40
- The president's aircraft, which landed
- 3:42
- within the last half hour, will wait
- 3:46
- here. And if there was a necessity for
- 3:49
- the president to return to France, there
- 3:51
- is always an aircraft ready to take him
- 3:54
- back.
- 4:13
- The president and Mrs. Mron in the state
- 4:15
- Bentley now with papers provided by the
- 4:18
- French
- 4:20
- aid de to the president
- 4:26
- and the motorcycle
- 4:28
- riders responsible for taking this
- 4:30
- procession to Windsor in place. And in
- 4:33
- the second car, the Prince and Princess
- 4:34
- of Wales as they now set off to Windsor
- 4:38
- where the preparations are in effect.
- 4:45
- So Mike Vernon starts this procession
- 4:47
- and the French national anthem followed
- 4:49
- by the British.
- [Music]
- 5:10
- Heat. Heat.
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- Oh well.
- 6:15
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- And the Royal Procession turning up Temp
- Street and quite a steep hill up to the
- side of the castle and a royal salute
- from the Royal Navy, the senior service
- who perform
- the street liners at this part of the
- route. And you'll see the very important
- sand on the tarmac to help these charges
- get up the hill. These are the scenes in
- Windsor, sunny afternoon uh in the
- castle. We've just seen Emmanuel Marro
- 7:00
- and his wife Bridget arriving there.
- Carriages being drawn by those horses
- through the town carrying the king and
- queen as well. You can also see there
- the Prince of Wales, Princess of Wales
- who received the French president and
- his wife at RF Northalt around oh about
- an hour ago or so now. And you can see
- there those carriages that had brought
- them are being pulled away.
- The honor guard
- before them. Let's um take a listen to
- our royal commentator, Alistister Bruce,
- who is watching these events for us
- through the course of the morning.
- The commander of the guard of honor,
- Major Jake Seers,
- will step forward to the president and
- in his very best French say, 'Your
- excellency, the guard of honor of the
- Grenadier Guards and Scots Guards, is
- present and ready for your inspection.'
- 8:02
- And then the king will invite the
- president of France to inspect the guard
- bonnet.
- The bare skin caps that are worn by the
- household divisions
- guards regiments were adopted after the
- battle of Waterloo
- by guards regiments that had taken part
- and by the grenaders in particular. It
- was
- an order of dress worn by
- the very brave French soldiers who
- fought for Napoleon and it was a sign of
- respect.
- The royal salute
- Heat. Heat.
- 9:00
- [Music]
- Heat. Heat.
- [Music]
- [Applause]
- [Music]
- The recovery of the state colors
- by the end signs.
- 10:09
- And the officer commanding the guard of
- honor now prepares
- those members of Nmean company and F
- company Scots Guards for the inspection.
- So he'll come forward to the president
- and inform him that the Guard Warner is
- ready for his inspection.
- And the king first of all introducing
- the officer commanding whose French
- doubtless is being commented on by the
- president
- 11:01
- as now the inspection which is for the
- guard of honor their best way of
- welcoming
- the president to the United Kingdom. on
- this extraordinarily sunny day
- here at Windsor.
- Well, in the last hour, the president
- and his wife Brit were treated to a tour
- of the Royal Collection. It's the
- largest private collection of art
- anywhere in the world.
- And our royal correspondent Rihanna
- Mills is in Windsor for us for more on
- this. Afternoon to you, Rian. So, the
- state visit progressing. They've now had
- a look at some of the goodies there at
- Windsor Castle. What's next for the
- president and his wife?
- Yeah, it is always amazing how much that
- they try to to cram in, but it's always
- about making sure that the kind of
- visiting guests have as special a time
- as possible and certainly when it comes
- to this first French state visit for
- 12:01
- Emanuel Macarron, um they are pulling
- out literally all of the stops. Of
- course, usually the heir to the throne
- would go and meet the visiting
- dignitary. Um they don't usually have to
- travel 18 miles in the car to go to RAF
- Northalt. Um but Prince William and the
- Princess of Wales made that journey to
- make sure that um President Macarron and
- his wife saw some very friendly faces
- when they they stepped off the plane. Um
- and then they accompanied them here to
- Windsor. It's the first time that
- Windsor has hosted a state visit in over
- 10 years. I think for the royal family,
- this is a really special place. It's
- somewhere they enjoy spending time. It's
- got that really personal touch, but also
- I think for for Emanuel Macarron and his
- wife and the royals as well, that
- carriage procession along the high
- street as they made their way to Windsor
- Castle is something quite spectacular.
- They are literally inches away from the
- crowd. So, a really special moment for
- them before they then made their way
- into the grounds of Windsor Castle for
- that important guard of honor. With
- these state visits, it's not necessarily
- what they tell us, but it's what they're
- 13:00
- showing us. And I think with that guard
- of honor, you're ticking off the list,
- those important military ties between
- the UK and France. And also with them
- looking at what you could call those
- trinkets from the royal collection, it's
- all about emphasizing that idea of a
- shared history. And at the moment, that
- is so important, especially when you
- think about the run-up to this state
- visit, all of those headlines about the
- issues between France and the UK,
- especially around immigration and the
- small boats issue. I think what number
- 10 will be thinking is how important it
- is that they have those kind of
- important softly softly conversations
- between the king and president Macron.
- What the king really has to do is make
- Macaron feel welcome here, make him feel
- special and they hope that will then
- underpin maybe more difficult
- conversations that will happen in the
- coming days. This afternoon, President
- Macron, he's certainly cramming things
- in. and he's off to London um to the
- House of Parliament where he will um
- meet parliamentarians where he'll
- address the Houses of Parliament. Um and
- then it's back here for a glittering
- 14:00
- state banquet. The one the king had when
- they went to France, they had some
- really big star names. So it's going to
- be interesting to see exactly who
- they've invited along for this state
- banquet. As we know, the king will stand
- up and talk about the shared challenges
- uh currently facing both our countries.
- We have also stood together in calling
- for the sessation of hostilities and
- path to peace in the Middle East since
- the spiral of violence began after the
- terrorist attacks by Amas on the 7th of
- October 2023.
- Together we call for the release of all
- hostages.
- Together we've called for a ceasefire in
- Gaza.
- It is a matter of absolute urgency to
- end the suffering of the ostagers and of
- the gazins.
- A war without end and without a
- strategic object objective poses a huge
- threat to the region and our collective
- security.
- 15:00
- Today a demonization is occurring there
- that can never be justified.
- together. We are aware that a political
- way out is crucial and I believe in the
- future of the two-state solution as a
- basis for a regional security
- architecture which will enable Israel to
- live in peace and security alongside its
- neighbors. But I want to be clear.
- Calling today for a ceasefire
- in Gaza without any condition
- is just telling to the rest of the world
- that for us as Europeans there is no
- double standard.
- And as we are attached to human lives,
- as we are attached to territorial
- integrity, we want this ceasefire,
- no discussion.
- And today, working together in order to
- recognize the state of Palestine and to
- initiate this political momentum is the
- 16:00
- only path to peace
- [Applause]
- because since Oslo in 1993
- With Gaza in Run and West Bank being on
- a daily basis attacked, the perspective
- of a Palestinian state has never been
- put at risk as it is.
- And the objective of a recognition
- is not just making our duty, but this is
- as well reopening a political
- perspective and refusing just an answer
- based on security.
- And this is why this solution of the two
- states and the recognition of the state
- of Palestine is as well according to me
- 17:00
- the only way to build peace and
- stability for all in the whole region.
- This approach is in line with our common
- refusal to tolerate the threat posed by
- an Iran that poses nuclear weapons.
- There again, we know all too well the
- limitations of solutions based on force
- and the temptation to bring about regime
- change.
- France, the United Kingdom and Germany
- in coordination with all stakeholders
- have the duty to bring about a stringent
- negotiation which ensures international
- monitoring of Iran's nuclear program
- over the long term, thereby preserving
- the international non-prololiferation
- framework as a foundation for collective
- security.
- It is with the same coherence and
- firmness that we must act to defend the
- world order. In Africa, our two
- countries have had a weighty past, which
- 18:00
- is why we can legitimately send a
- message of consiliation and refusal of
- spheres of influence, of respect for
- economic and territorial sovereignty.
- In the Indo-Pacific, our history has
- made us watchdog of the freedom of
- navigation and compliance with
- international law which we defend.
- Amid these upheavalss, the alliance
- between France and the United Kingdom
- has not faltered.
- It has even become stronger.
- And the procession led through the
- Waterlue chamber by the Lord
- Chamberlain, Lord Benyan, and by the
- Lord Stewart, Lord Rosslin.
- And wearing the sashes of their various
- different nations,
- the president of France escorted by the
- king. The president of France is wearing
- the order of the bath and the king is
- wearing the order or the Leon Donire.
- 19:00
- The Queen also wearing the Leon Donaire
- with Madame Macron, Prince of Wales and
- the Princess of Wales along with other
- members of the royal family, leading
- members of the French suite, the Duke
- and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess
- Royal
- and Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence
- and the Duke of Gloucester.
- Behind him, the Duchess of Glouester.
- also each of them escorting guests from
- France who will be playing their part in
- getting the chance to talk and meet with
- all those who are currently gathered
- inside St. George's Hall as the
- procession comes in. Each of the couples
- escorted by members of the royal family
- know exactly where on this table they
- are to head to. And as soon as the king
- arrives at his seat with the president,
- all will be ready for the next and most
- 20:00
- important part of the state banquet,
- which will be when the king welcomes in
- his speech the president to the United
- Kingdom. And after that is complete, the
- French president will reply the two
- national anthems.
- Heat. Heat.
- Heat.
- Heat.
- [Music]
- President
- Madame Macron.
- the windset
- visit
- premier.
- I recall with such fond memories our
- visit to France in 2023
- 22:00
- when you so graciously host us, Mr. the
- posidor.
- Much has happened in the meantime and
- France and the United Kingdom have stood
- ever closer since then.
- At this crucial point in our shared
- histories, your visit is another
- occasion to celebrate our deep and
- enduring friendship.
- And I would like to end my toast by
- raising my glass in honor of your
- majesty of her majesty Queen Chameleia
- and your family. I raise it in honor of
- the United Kingdom of this ant amikal
- that unites our two fraternal peoples in
- an unwavering alliance.
- Long live the United Kingdom of Great
- Britain and Northern Ireland. Long live
- France. Long live Franco British
- friendship.
- 23:01
- [Music]
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