King Charles opens doors to special guests for first time in 17 years | HELLO! (2025)

Buckingham Palace has announced that French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will pay a state visit to the UK from 8 to 10 July.

During their stay, the couple will stay at Windsor Castle in Berkshire where they will attend a state banquet.

In a statement confirming their visit, the Palace said: "The President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Mrs Brigitte Macron, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Tuesday 8th July to Thursday 10th July 2025."

It continued: "The President and Mrs Macron will stay at Windsor Castle."

While Buckingham Palace is the default residence for state visits, it's currently undergoing refurbishments. Macron and his wife will therefore be hosted at the monarch's historic residence in Berkshire.

The invitation to Mr Macron, for what will be his first state visit to the UK, comes eight years after he took office.

The last state visit to the UK from France took place in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni stayed at Windsor as a guest of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Macron's visit is taking place ahead of Mr Trump's invitation to meet the King, which is reportedly being arranged for September.

Charles and Camilla's state visit to France

King Charles and Queen Camilla have a good relationship with the French leader and his wife. The royal couple last paid a state visit to France back in 2023, during which Charles delivered a speech about the "friendship" between the two countries.

He said: "For the time that is granted to me as King, I pledge to do whatever I can to strengthen the indispensable relationship between the United Kingdom and France – and, today, I invite you to join me in this endeavour. Together, our potential is limitless.

"Let us, therefore, cherish and nurture our entente cordiale. Let us renew it for future generations so that, I would like to propose, it also becomes an entente pour la durabilite (agreement for sustainability) – in order to tackle the global climate and biodiversity emergency more effectively.

"A commitment to each other, and to the values we so proudly share; a commitment inspired by the example of the past, and emboldened to grapple with the immense challenges in the world around us.

He continued: "As neighbours, friends, partners and allies, there is no challenge to which we cannot rise, as we have done so often in the past. Let us stride forward with hope and courage – and let us do so together."

During their visit, Charles and Camilla also took part in a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, enjoyed an audience at the Elysee Palace and attended a glittering state banquet held at the Palace of Versailles.