Macron to visit Britain at invitation of King Charles III

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom in July, during which he will stay at Windsor Castle and attend a state banquet at the historic residence in Berkshire.

Buckingham Palace announced that Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have accepted the invitation of King Charles III and will make an official visit to the UK from July 8 to 10, 2025, Caliber.Az reports, citing Western media outlets.

This will be the first state visit by a French president to the UK since 2008, when Nicolas Sarkozy visited the country.

Macron’s office said that the trip will also include a summit between the French leader and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Such meetings used to be an annual ritual, but were suspended during the acrimonious Brexit negotiations.

The Elysée Palace said in a statement that the visit “will show the depth of the ties that unite our two countries and our two people.”

With the war raging in Ukraine and European security a concern amid threats from Russia, it’s expected the summit will focus on defence and security, an area where the French and the British have in the past worked together closely.

Ties between France and the United Kingdom have improved since the frosty days of tense Brexit negotiations, which concluded with a deal in 2020. Starmer’s effort to reset relations with the bloc has helped further thaw London’s relationships with both Brussels and Paris.

The visit will also be an opportunity to address some thorny issues that divide the two countries. France has been playing hardball on reset talks between the EU and the U.K. — Paris wants London to commit to extending fishing rights for EU trawlers in British waters beyond a looming deadline next year.

By Khagan Isayev