London (TDI): King Charles of Britain will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron to Windsor Castle for the first-ever state visit by a European leader since Britain’s exit from the European Union, on Tuesday.
The visit aims to celebrate the return of closer political and economic ties between France and the United Kingdom.
The British Crown Prince, William, and his wife, Kate, will receive President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, at a military airport in London, and will accompany them to Windsor Castle, where King Charles and Queen Camilla will greet them.
President Macron, who enjoys close personal ties with the king, will attend the grand ceremonial event held for him.
The last official state visit by a French president was in 2008, when the former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, became the guest of the late Queen Elizabeth.
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On Wednesday, President Macron will visit London’s Downing Street, where he will be received by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
The two leaders will discuss the issue of asylum seekers and migrants after a record number of asylum seekers and migrants arrived in the UK this year. The British lawmakers are hoping that the French President will agree to a pilot of an asylum seeker’s return deal.
Since British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was elected last year, he has been making an effort to restore ties with the European allies.
During the scheduled visit, President Macron will hold discussions on a wide range of issues including economic and defense cooperation, smuggling, and human trafficking.
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An associate fellow at London’s Chatham House, Sebastien Millard, stated that both Britain and France have been seeking to repair the damage done by the Brexit negotiations which resulted in Britain leaving the European Union in 2020. During the Brexit negotiations, “France was more or less playing the bad cop,” he said.
France and Britain have also been collaborating extensively on Ukraine, and they have been planning to provide military force to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
It is important to highlight that last week, the French President had a telephone conversation with the Russian President, during which the two leaders discussed the possibility of a ceasefire to end the war in Ukraine.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
