Emmanuel Macron will attend King’s coronation to show ‘friendship, respect and esteem’ for Britain
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the King’s coronation to show ‘friendship, respect and esteem’ for Britain
President Macron has confirmed that he will be present at the coronation of King Charles III
He said he will appear at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6, to show his “friendship, respect and esteem” for the United Kingdom.
It comes after Macron was pressured to ask the king to cancel his government’s first scheduled trip in March amid nationwide riots over his pension reforms.
The headlines in France last month also spoke of a “Entente renewedas Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met the French leader for a summit to mark a “new beginning” and “turn the page” on frictions that have existed between the two countries since Brexit.
This is reported by a French diplomatic source The times: ‘Relations with the UK are very important for the French authorities. We are ready to build on the new chapter opened at the bilateral summit in March.”
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during his joint statement with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles at the Elysee Palace in Paris
King Charles III inspects the parade of the 200th Sovereign at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
King Charles speaks fluent French and has great admiration for the country, as does his mother who made six state visits during her reign.
More than 2,000 people are expected at the coronation of the king.
READ MORE: William ‘still feels betrayed’ by Harry as King Charles uses coronation to ‘repair family rifts’
Germany and Italy send Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella – their presidents – instead of their heads of government, Olaf Scholz and Giorgia Meloni.
US President Joe Biden will not be attending after spending four days in Ireland last week, but his wife Jill will.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have also announced their intentions.
It was revealed on Friday that Prince Harry had a “heart to heart” with his father King Charles over his invitation to the coronation ceremony before agreeing to attend after weeks of talks over the safety of the event, insiders claim.
Sources previously said weeks-long negotiations, likened to “transatlantic ping-pong,” were underway between Harry and Buckingham Palace over what role he could play, where he could sit and security arrangements.
It was also discovered that King Charles has not invited Sarah Ferguson to his coronation – meaning his former sister-in-law will have to watch the event on TV.
The 63-year-old Duchess of York, nicknamed ‘Fergie’, still lives with her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, at the Royal Lodge mansion in Windsor, despite their divorce in 1996.
But she is now not expected to attend the coronation, despite Andrew and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie both being there.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves Conservative campaign headquarters