PARIS (Reuters) -Record illegal migrant crossings across the English Channel this year showed Brexit had failed to deliver on a British promise of tighter border controls, said French President Emmanuel Macron, adding that British people had been 'sold a lie.'

President Emmanuel Macron is on a state visit to Britain, the first by a French leader since 2008. His hosts are drenching him in pomp, pizazz and protocol.

King Charles tells a state banquet held for French President Emmanuel Macron that the UK and France stand "ever closer" The King, who addressed guests in both English and French, also spoke of the need to tackle "irregular migration across the English Channel" It's a star-studded guestlist in Windsor this evening,

In July 2025, after French President Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to the U.K., a claim (archived) circulated online that Macron broke royal protocol when he walked in front of King Charles III while inspecting British troops on July 8.

President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain, which began Tuesday, is heavy on pageantry. But both he and Prime Minister Keir Starmer hope for practical results.

Brigitte Macron continued her tour of the U.K. alongside husband Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, with a banquet in London’s Guildhall on Wednesday. France’s first lady married subdued elegance with sparkling embellishments, favoring a gown with statement shoulders.

King Charles III will highlight the crucial bonds between the United Kingdom and France in the face of a “multitude of complex threats” as he welcomes President Emmanuel Macron for the first state visit by a European leader since Brexit.

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron joked about Larry the cat, ahead of talks to finalise a plan on tackling migrants crossing the Channel on small boats.