President Macron has confirmed he will attend King Charles III‘s coronation on Saturday 6 May at Westminster Abbey.
He said that he will make an appearance to show his ‘friendship, respect and esteem’ for the United Kingdom.
It comes after Macron was pressed to ask the King to cancel the first planned trip of his reign in March over nationwide rioting due to his pension reforms.
Headlines in France last month also spoke of an ‘Entente renewed‘ as 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.
The President said: ‘Relations with the UK are very important for the French authorities. We are willing to build on the new chapter opened at the March bilateral summit.’
French President Emmanuel Macron looks on after a meeting with Senegalese war veterans at the Elysee Palace in Paris
King Charles III inspects the 200th Sovereign’s parade at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
King Charles is a fluent French speaker and has great admiration for the country, just like his mother who made six state visits during her reign.
More than 2,000 people are expected to be present for the King’s coronation.
READ MORE: William ‘still feels betrayed’ by Harry as King Charles uses Coronation to ‘mend family rifts’
Germany and Italy will send Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella – their presidents – instead of their heads of government, Olaf Scholz and Giorgia Meloni.
The US President Joe Biden will not be in attendance after spending four days in Ireland last week, but his wife Jill will be.
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, have also said they are going.
On Friday it was revealed that Prince Harry had a ‘heart to heart’ with his father King Charles about his invitation to the Coronation ceremony before agreeing to attend after weeks of talks over the event’s security, insiders claim.
Sources previously said there were weeks of negotiations, likened to ‘transatlantic ping pong’, between Harry and Buckingham Palace about what role he might play, where he might 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 Windsor mansion of Royal Lodge despite their divorce in 1996.
But she is now not expected to attend the coronation despite Andrew and their daughters Beatrice and Eugenie both set to be there.
Rishi Sunak during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons
