Following the Ceremonial Welcome at Windsor, The King and Queen hosted the France State Banquet in St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle, with the Waterloo table being set up for the occasion.
The President and First Lady were joined by guests including footballer Mary Earps and singers Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John.
Guests at state banquets tend to represent the connection between two nations, so other famous faces included TV maitre d’ Fred Sirieix, while Raymond Blanc OBE, who is an ambassador of the King’s Foundation, helped create the first and dessert courses of the banquet meal.
The menu started with a selection of tender summer vegetables with sage, raw tomato and a dressing of extra virgin olive oil. For main course, it was supreme of Rhug Estate chicken with Norfolk asparagus and tarragon cream. Finally, dessert was iced blackcurrant-soaked sponge with elderflower jelly.
In honour of the Entente Cordiale, there is a special cocktail called “l’entente” being served. It is a combination of British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, with a garnish of dried French cornflowers and English roses.
Along with the special cocktail, the wine list included: Domaine Evremond, Classic Cuvee, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Crus Etienne Sauzet, 2022, 1er Grand Crus Classe Pessac-Leognan 1996 and Louis Roederer, Carte Blanche.
The King wore a dark blue jacket with red facings, known as the Windsor uniform. It was created by George III in 1777 and is only worn by male Royals at Windsor.
The Queen wore an ivory silk and crepe embroidered gown by Fiona Clare along with the King George VI Sapphire suite.
The Princess of Wales wore a dark red silk creponne gathered evening gown, with caped back detailing, designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, paired with the Lover’s Knot Tiara and the Greville Diamond Chandelier earrings, along with Charles III’s Royal Family Order. This state banquet also marked Catherine’s first since her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
The Princess Royal wore a white Maureen Baker dress, which she wore for her 70th birthday photoshoot, and the Festoon Tiara.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a bespoke gown from Suzannah London, based on their ‘Delphine’ dress, and her Aquamarine Necklace Tiara.
The Duchess of Gloucester wore a cream three-quarter sleeve gown, paired with the Teck Turquoise Tiara and Queen Mary’s Turquoise Fringe Necklace.
A number of honours were given to senior members of the Royal Family from the French Government to mark the occasion. Queen Camilla was given the Legion of Honour, the usual award given to Foreign Heads of State and Royal Consorts by France. Charles received this honour as heir to the throne in 1984.
Prince William has been made a Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, which Charles and Queen Elizabeth II received when they were next in line. Catherine meanwhile has been made Grand Officer of the Order of Merit for France which Camilla received during her tenure as Duchess of Cornwall.
In return, President Macron was given the British Honour of Order of Bath.
Beginning his speech in French, The King welcomed the Macrons to Windsor Castle.
King Charles said much has happened since his royal visit to France in 2023, and that the UK and France ‘have stood ever closer since then’. He spoke of ‘a thousand years of shared history and culture between our two peoples’ and mentioned the Royal Family’s personal connection to France. Charles also said the UK and France face a ‘multitude of complex threats emanating from multiple directions’, but ‘as friends and allies, we face them together’.
The King said the UK and France ‘would not be neighbours if we did not have our differences.’ He also remarked that the relationship between the two nations are ‘built on co-operation and mutual fascination’. During the speech he switched between English and French, speaking of Britain and France working even more closely together. He said that they are jointly leading the ‘coalition of the willing’ which is in ‘defence of our shared values’.
Discussing Ukraine, The King said that a partnership would be vital in the alliance supporting the eastern nation, in ‘defence of liberty and freedom from oppression’. He also mentioned the need to tackle ‘irregular migration across the English Channel’ and the cross-border threats in an uncertain world of ‘terrorism, organised crime, cyberattacks’.
The Monarch spoke to the guests of ecological threats that mean the ‘very future of our planet hangs in the balance’, and included a series of cultural references in his speech that brought together France and Britain. These included mentions of the French Impressionist painter Monet depicting scenes in London, Jane Birkin performing in French and Thierry Henry scoring goals for Arsenal.
The King praised French cuisine: ‘This evening, we have drunk English sparkling wine made by a French champagne house. This would have been scarcely believable to at least some of our predecessors’.
President Macron’s speech began by thanking The King and Queen for their hospitality. ‘A sign of your great courtesy and a testament to your friendship with France’ he said. Macron’s speech also switched between English and French.
The President said he has confidence in the UK and France’s relationship ahead of a summit due to take place between the two countries. ‘On either side of the Channel, there is a constant reminder that we must never lower our guard’.
He also highlighted the importance of the two countries coming together for science, education and research.
Macron also paid tribute to the late Queen, stating ‘To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was The Queen’. The French President then spoke of history as the Bayeux Tapestry will be returning to the UK on loan over 900 years after its creation, to go on display at the British Museum.
He said people will be able to discover the story of the tapestry following ‘the same path as the warriors whose story it tells and land on British soil,’ he said.
The President went on to say that when France and Britain ‘come together around one table everything is possible’.
He finished his speech by raising his glass in honour of the UK: ‘Long live Franco-British friendship’.
