London [UK], April 21: Emmanuel Macron will be granted a state visit before Donald Trump's expected trip in September as Britain seeks closer ties with Europe, according to a report.
The French president is said to have received an invitation from the British king to travel to the UK at the end of May, eight years after taking office. Few Government and royal officials know the details of the engagement, which would be Macron's first state visit to Britain, according to the Sunday Times.
It comes after the US leader suggested Buckingham Palace was "setting a date for September" for him to meet British King Charles when asked about reports that he was expecting to fly to the UK at the end of summer.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said: "They're going to do a second, as you know, a second fest ... that's what it is: a fest, and it's beautiful, and it's the first time it's ever happened to one person.
"And the reason is we have two separate terms, and it's an honour ... I'm a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William, we have really just a great respect for the family." Precedent for second-term US presidents who have already made a state visit is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed Trump what he described at the time as a "truly historic" personal invitation from the King for a second state visit when he visited the White House in February.
However, reports suggest that the venue for the trip is now expected to be Windsor Castle, rather than Balmoral or Dumfries House, as previously thought. Macron's visit is also expected to take place at Windsor due to a refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.
Starmer has repeatedly insisted he does not need to choose between pursuing a closer relationship with Europe and strengthening US-UK trade. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will travel to Washington next week for meetings of the International Monetary Fund and is expected to speak with counterparts about the prospect of a wider economic agreement to mitigate the impact of Trump's sweeping 10% tariffs on all goods entering America.
Source: Qatar Tribune