Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer will also try to advance plans for a post-ceasefire security force for Ukraine, despite apparent US indifference to the idea and Russia's refusal to halt the onslaught on its neighbour

Macron's three-day visit, 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 that the UK acrimoniously left in 2020

Macron said the visit was an "important moment for our two nations"

"The United Kingdom is a strategic partner, an ally, a friend," Macron wrote on X, in a marked change of tone from the years of wrangling over Brexit. "Our bond is longstanding, forged by history and strengthened by trust"

The president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were greeted on a red carpet laid over the tarmac at London's RAF Northolt air base by Prince William and his wife Catherine, who was wearing a dress by French design house Christian Dior

They were met in Windsor, west of London, by King Charles and Queen Camilla. A military band played the French and British national anthems as all four set out for the royal residence of Windsor Castle in horse-drawn carriages, through streets bedecked in Union Jacks and French tricolour flags

Later the king and queen will host a state banquet for their guests. The British royals made a state visit to France in September 2023

The monarch is expected to steer clear of politics, but Charles will make a broad appeal to international cooperation at the banquet, saying that Britain and France "face a multitude of complex threats" that "know no borders" and that "no fortress can protect us against them"

Macron also will address both houses of Britain's Parliament in the building's fabulously ornate Royal Gallery before sitting down for talks with Starmer on migration, defense and investment