Macron's three-day state visit begins with pomp and ceremonypublished at 22:37 British Summer Time 8 July
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from Windsor

A state visit is a blend of pageantry and ceremony mixed in with serious business and politics.
This opening day of the three-day visit by France’s President Macron was very much on the ceremonial side, with crowds in the sunshine enjoying the carriage procession.
There was a particularly warm public reception for Prince William and Catherine - and we saw her playing a full part in today’s events, as she takes another step in her gradual return after her cancer treatment.
The state banquet is one of the highlights of any such trip and it brought together some famous faces, including Mick Jagger and Elton John. In honour of UK-French relations there was sparkling English wine as well as champagne.
But the message from the King’s speech - and one we’ll keep hearing over the next two days - is about the importance of the partnership between France and the UK in an increasingly unpredictable and unstable political climate.
There might be some points of difficulty to resolve - like the small boats coming across the Channel - but the underlying message from the King and from President Macron was that such old alliances are more vital than ever in a fragmenting world.
We'll be closing this live page shortly, but will be back again tomorrow for day two of Macron's state visit.