San Francisco Frontiers - France's Macron kicks off pomp-filled UK state visit

The French leader will hold several meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who promised to reset relations with European capitals when he took power in 2024 after years of Brexit-fuelled tension.

Their discussions are expected to focus on aid to war-torn Ukraine and bolstering defence spending, as well as joint efforts to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats -- a potent political issue in Britain.

It is the first state visit by an EU head of state since the UK's acrimonious 2020 departure from the bloc, and the first by a French president since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.

Calling it "historic", Starmer's office said the visit would showcase "the breadth of the existing relationship" between Britain and France.

It added that Starmer would "aim to drive forward progress on tackling irregular migration, enhancing our defence and security co-operation and boosting trade and investment".

Macron's Francophile host King Charles has called ties with Britain's cross-Channel neighbour "indispensable" and the two men are believed to have a warm rapport.

The king made a 2023 state visit to France, one of his first after ascending the throne and widely regarded as a success.

- Windsor pomp -

Macron and his wife Brigitte will be greeted off the plane by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, before travelling to Windsor Castle to meet the king and his wife, Queen Camilla.

The French leader and his wife will enjoy various displays of British pomp and pageantry including lunch and later a banquet at the castle.

"Our two countries face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. As friends and as allies, we face them together," King Charles is due to tell Macron at the banquet, according to a press release from Buckingham Palace.

"Our two nations share not only values, but also the tireless determination to act on them in the world."

Macron will follow in the footsteps of predecessors Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand by addressing lawmakers in the UK parliament.

On Wednesday, Macron will have lunch with Starmer and the two leaders will also co-host on Thursday the 37th Franco-British Summit, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defence ties.

Britain and France are spearheading talks amongst a 30-nation coalition on how to support a possible ceasefire in Ukraine, including potentially deploying peacekeeping forces.

The two leaders will dial in to a meeting of the coalition on Thursday "to discuss stepping up support for Ukraine and further increasing pressure on Russia", Starmer's office confirmed on Monday.

- Tapestry loan -

They will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the French presidency.

Irregular migration is also set to feature in talks between Macron and Starmer.

The British leader is under intense pressure to curb cross-Channel arrivals, as Eurosceptic Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK party uses the issue to fuel its rise.

London has for years pressed Paris to do more to halt the boats leaving from northern French beaches, welcoming footage last Friday showing French police stopping one such boat from departing.

Meanwhile, speculation is rife that Macron will use the visit to announce an update on his previous offer to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain.

It emerged in 2018 that he had agreed to loan the embroidery, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of England, but the move has since stalled.

The UK government said on Monday that it continued to "work closely with our counterparts in France on its planned loan".

A.Evans--SFF