French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Britain to stick close to its neighbours despite its exit from the European Union, saying France and the UK will “save Europe” by standing for democracy, law and international order in a dangerous world.

On a state visit that mixed royal pageantry with tough political talks on Ukraine and migration, Macron said Europe must strengthen its economy and defences and reduce its dependence “on both the US and China”.

Macron’s three-day trip, at the invitation of King Charles III, is the first state visit to the UK by a European Union head of state since Brexit, and a symbol of the British government's desire to reset relations with the bloc after acrimoniously leaving the EU in 2020.

Emmanuel Macron speaks at the State Banquet in Windsor. – Reuters

Macron addressed members of both houses of Britain's Parliament packed into the building’s ornate Royal Gallery. He said the two countries represent “a world order based on law, justice and respect for territorial integrity, an order that is today being attacked on a daily basis”.

“The United Kingdom and France must once again show the world that our alliance can make all the difference,” Macron said, adding that "we will save Europe by our example and our solidarity”.

He said that even though Britain has left the EU, "the United Kingdom cannot stay on the sidelines"

"Because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy – the very core of our identity – are connected across Europe as a continent.”

Starmer, Macron lay wreaths at Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle statues. – Reuters

Pomp and politics

The French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were treated to the full force of British ceremonial charm, a far cry from the chilly relations of 2022, when then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that the “jury is out” on whether Macron was a friend or a foe.

The Macrons were greeted at London's RAF Northolt air base by Prince William and his wife Catherine — wearing a dress by a French designer — before being met by King Charles and Queen Camilla in Windsor, west of London.

They were driven to the almost 1000-year-old royal residence of Windsor Castle in horse-drawn carriages, through streets bedecked in Union Jacks and French tricolor flags.

Macron meets with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey at Lancaster House in London. – Reuters

The king and queen hosted a banquet for the Macrons at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening, with 160 guests including politicians, diplomats and celebrities. 

As monarch, Charles is expected to be above politics, but he spoke about the support Britain and France give Ukraine “in defence of our shared values", noted the challenge of “irregular migration across the English Channel” and said the two countries face “complex threats, emanating from multiple directions".

“As friends and as allies, we face them together,” Charles said.

The 76-year-old monarch, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, had a noticeably red right eye when he met Macron. A Buckingham Palace source said he had suffered a burst blood vessel that was unrelated to any other health condition.

French President Macron visits Westminster Abbey, lays wreath at tomb of Unknown Warrior. – Reuters

Earlier, Macron, in a rare address to both houses of the British parliament, celebrated the return of closer ties between the two countries.

Macron told parliament the two countries needed to come together to strengthen Europe, including on defence, immigration, the environment and trade.

"The United Kingdom and France must once again show the world that our alliance can make all the difference," he said.

"The only way to overcome the challenges we have, the challenges of our times, will be to go together hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder."

Listing the geopolitical threats the countries face, Macron argued they should also be wary of the "excessive dependencies of both the US and China", saying they needed to "de-risk our economies and our societies from this dual dependency".

But he also set out the opportunities of a closer union, saying they should make it easier for students, researchers and artists to live in each other's countries, and seek a way to work together on artificial intelligence and protect children online.

AP explains: Pomp and pageantry greet France's Macron in display of British royals' soft power. – AP

The speech symbolised the improvement in relations sought by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's centre-left Labour Party, as part of a broader reset of ties with European allies following the rancour that exploded over Britain's departure from the European Union.

Britain and France marked the three-day visit with an announcement that French nuclear energy utility EDF would invest £1.1 billion in a project to build a nuclear power station in eastern England.

The two countries also announced that France would lend Britain the Bayeux Tapestry, allowing the masterpiece to return across the Channel for the first time in more than 900 years, in exchange for Britain loaning France Anglo-Saxon and Viking treasures.

Emmanuel Macron takes a selfie with his wife Brigitte Macron, Keir Starmer and Veteran Eugenius Nead in London. – Reuters

The state visit comes 16 years after the late Queen Elizabeth hosted then French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Although there have been tensions over the shape of post-Brexit ties and how to stop asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats, Britain and France have been working closely to create a planned military force to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

Starmer is hoping that will help persuade Macron to take a different approach to stopping people-smuggling across the border, with London wanting to try out an asylum seekers' returns deal.

This would involve Britain deporting one asylum seeker to France in exchange for another with a legitimate case to be in Britain, thereby disrupting the business model of people-smuggling gangs.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron are welcomed by Britain's Prince William. - Reuters

A record number of asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats from France in the first six months of this year.

Starmer, whose party is trailing Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party in the polls, is under pressure to come up with a solution.

France has previously refused to sign such an agreement, saying Britain should negotiate an arrangement with all EU countries.