French President Emmanuel Macron gave the Princess of Wales, a cheeky wink as he clinked glasses with her at a state banquet at Windsor Castle. The star-studded gala dinner was held on July 8th in honor of the first official French state visit in 17 years.
Macron, 47, was seated between the Princess of Wales, also known as Kate Middleton before her marriage to Prince William, and King Charles. The respectful politician helped pull out Kate's chair and waited for her to sit before taking his own seat beside her.
During a toast, Macron was seen winking at Kate, 43, with the image going viral on social media. Users on X, TikTok, and Instagram widely speculated that Emmanuel would be in trouble with his wife, Brigitte Macron, behind closed doors.
The banquet's seating arrangements placed spouses opposite each other. King Charles, 76, Macron, and Kate were seated together on one side, while Prince William, 43, sat next to Macron's wife, Brigitte, 72, with Queen Camilla, 77, on her other side.
The dinner was also attended by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and various celebrities, including Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, Elton John and his husband David Furnish, and actress Kristin Scott-Thomas.
During King Charles' speech, he pointed out that rather than drinking champagne, their French guests of honor were enjoying English sparkling wine. He said, "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."
Macron used his toast to reemphasize the special bond between the two European countries, which are only separated by the English Channel, that they have shared in times of turmoil, including the Second World War. He said: "On either side of the Channel, there is a constant reminder that we must never lower our guard."
Macron has been at ease since he and his wife Brigitte arrived in the UK, landing at RAF Northolt on Tuesday, July 8th. Prince William and his wife Kate were present to meet the French couple as they disembarked their plane, and Macron greeted the princess with a kiss on the hand.
Many on social media speculated whether Macron had broken royal protocol, but there is no strict rule for greetings. Information on the official website of the royal family states, "There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men, this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way."
The 37th UK-France Summit took place today, Thursday, July 10th, with topics of discussion between Starmer and Macron set to include irregular immigration across the English Channel, the war in Ukraine, and bilateral trade deals.