He rode in a horse-drawn carriage, chatting with King Charles. He walked down a red carpet, sharp in his navy suit. And, come Tuesday evening, he will dine in Windsor Castle at a banquet in his honor.
Britain is rolling out its pomp and turning up its pageantry to full throttle for President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte Macron, who are on the first French state visit to the United Kingdom since President Nicolas Sarkozy came over in 2008.
In a bid to show solidarity and get results on everything from Ukraine to migrant crossings, the two governments are building a spectacle.
In one move showcasing their cooperation, Mr. Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain agreed that the Bayeux Tapestry — a 230-foot-long embroidery dating from the 11th century that illustrates the Norman Conquest of England — will be lent to the British Museum next year.
The loan, first promised in 2018, will mark the tapestry’s first trip to Britain since it was made about 1,000 years ago. In return, France is also getting to borrow some ancient items, including the Lewis chessmen and treasures from Sutton Hoo, the seventh century Anglo-Saxon ship uncovered on England’s east coast in 1939.
In his speech to the British Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Macro joked about the Bayeux Tapestry negotiations, saying that it had taken “probably more years to deliver that project than all the Brexit texts.”
Here are pictures from the first day of the visit.
On Tuesday morning, Mr. and Mrs. Macron were welcomed by Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, who deployed “diplomatic dressing,” Vogue reported.
She wore a light pink suit from Dior, the French luxury label. But if France covered her heart, Britain ruled her head: She wore a hat by Jess Collett, a British milliner, and pearls that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, Vogue added.
Mr. Macron kissed the princess’s hand, which led to a brief outburst of online consternation about etiquette. (King Charles kissed Mrs. Macron’s hand later, too.)
Protocol-wise, that was all above board, said Wendy Bosberry-Scott, the editor of Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage, a British organization that describes itself as “the ultimate authority on the nation’s traditions, society and etiquette.”
“The King has always greeted women of rank in this manner,” Ms. Bosberry-Scott wrote in an email. “It is also perfectly acceptable, in France, for men to greet women this way.”
The group traveled to Windsor, just outside London, to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla.
After some introductions, the dignitaries climbed into a fleet of horse-drawn carriages.
Mr. Macron and the king rode together, while Mrs. Macron and the queen rode in the second carriage, followed by open carriages carrying William and Catherine, as well as the French ambassador and other dignitaries. Together, they all rolled on toward Windsor Castle, as a band played both national anthems.
The Royal Guard took part in a welcome ceremony at the quadrangle in Windsor.
Later, the royals showed their guests around an exhibition of items “relating to France” that belong to the Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
Some, like a draft of an 1844 letter from Queen Victoria to King Louis Philippe of France, were artifacts of diplomacy and mutual friendship. The French monarch had visited England in October that year, and Victoria wrote afterward: “I need not tell you again how attached we are to you and how much we desire to see the cordial understanding between our two countries, which exists so happily between us personally, strengthen even more.”
Others come from a world divided. An illuminated manuscript from 1430, for instance, was made by an artist known as the Bedford Master, a Parisian painter who worked “for French and English bibliophiles even during the Hundred Years’ War,” the Palace noted — a long struggle between the countries.
Mr. Macron brought presents, too, the BBC reported. While the Bayeux Tapestry is seen as a gift for the British public, he brought the King a rare score of a Debussy opera, a ceremonial trumpet and a personalized watercolor box — a nod to Charles’ side hustle (for charity, of course) as an enthusiastic watercolorist.
In the afternoon, the Macrons left Windsor for London, where Mr. Macron laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. These British remains were brought from France in 1920, after the First World War, and the grave contains French soil.
Then, Mr. Macron left the church to enter the nearby den of politics: Parliament.
After his speech to lawmakers — which was warmly received with a standing ovation — the Macrons returned to Windsor for a Royal Banquet, to cap off the first day of the state visit.
They need to be on their game for Wednesday, when they are scheduled to start the morning with a private visit to the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. Later Mr. Macron will sit down for a working lunch with Mr. Starmer, when serious discussions about Ukraine and immigration are on the menu.
Amelia Nierenberg is a breaking news reporter for The Times in London, covering international news.
The post Photos of Macron’s U.K. State Visit, From a Carriage Ride to a Polite Kiss appeared first on New York Times.
