President Emmanuel Macron tells Parliament the UK and France have a duty to tackle illegal migration "with humanity, solidarity and firmness"
Speaking on the first day of his state visit, he says "we cannot allow our countries' rules for taking in people to be flouted and criminal networks to cynically exploit the hopes of so many individuals"
Macron and his wife Brigitte earlier met the King and Queen in Windsor, where they led a carriage procession and had lunch in Windsor Castle - here's the day so far in pictures
The president will meet Starmer before returning to Windsor for a state banquet this evening
The pair are expected to discuss how to tackle small boat crossings, with Downing Street hoping for "good progress" during Macron's three days in the UK
Watch: Royalty and carriage rides on day one of Macron's state visit
Image source, UK ParliamentMacron is being introduced by House of Commons Speaker Linsday Hoyle, who says the shared history between the UK and France "goes back 900 years".
Hoyle says they have fought "side by side", and goes on to discuss the UK and France's deep partnership and co-operation.
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have now arrived at the Palace of Westminster, where the French leader is set to deliver a statement.
Macron is being welcomed with a standing ovation and applause by MPs and peers.
Image source, PA MediaMacron departs Westminster Abbey after paying his respects at the grave of the Unknown Warrior
After a short engagement in Westminster Abbey, Macron is now on his way to the Palace of Westminster where he will address MPs and peers shortly.
He will make his statement in the Royal Gallery, the largest room in the Palace of Westminster, which is used for formal occasions attended by both Houses.
Daniel Wittenberg
Reporting from Windsor
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockPresident Macron came to Windsor earlier bearing four gifts for King Charles, each carefully selected to reflect the monarch’s personal interests, the Elysée Palace has confirmed.
During the French president’s state visit, the King will be given:
Iain Watson
Political correspondent reporting from Westminster
Although the Royal Gallery is the largest room in the Palace of Westminster, it is now standing-room only as MPs and peers await the French president’s arrival.
The room is mainly used for important occasions, including parliamentary ceremonies and state receptions.
US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have previously addressed both Houses in the room.
Iain Watson
Political correspondent, reporting from Westminster
In the front row, awaiting the French president’s arrival, are leader of the opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and the Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey.
The Conservative and Lib Dem leaders will meet Macron privately later today.
Labour’s Lucy Powell, who is leader of the House of Commons, has a front row seat too. Presumably the prime minister will be joining them.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from Windsor
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest, is going to go on display at the British Museum next year. It'll be on show from September 2026 until July 2027.
In exchange, the treasures of the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon burial and other items, such as the Lewis chessmen, will be heading to France.
It's an unmistakable symbol of mutual trust.
The British Museum's director Nicholas Cullinan described the Tapestry, recording William the Conqueror's victory in 1066, as "one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world".
It's going to be a blockbuster exhibition. Is it bound to be called A Stitch in Time?
Image source, ReutersAs we've been reporting, Macron is visiting Westminster Abbey ahead of his address to Parliament today.
The French president is laying a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. He died in the First World War, and the grave contains French soil.
The grave is a memorial to the dead of World War One, particularly those who have no known grave.
Image source, PA MediaEmmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have arrived at London's Westminster Abbey. They are there to pay their respects at the grave of the Unknown Warrior.
Crowds of people are stood outside, trying to get a glimpse of the French president.
Iain Watson
Political correspondent, reporting from Westminster
Image source, AFPThe late Queen Elizabeth II dined with Francois Mitterrand and Prince Philip during a 1984 state visit
Another French president who was given a state visit was Francois Mitterrand in 1984.
Lord Robertson - the former Labour defence secretary - tells me his party’s left-wing MPs turned out in numbers to greet the French socialist party leader.
But enthusiasm turned to dismay when he waxed lyrical about the "force de frappe" - the French nuclear deterrent - when support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) was at its zenith in the UK.
Iain Watson
Political correspondent, reporting from Westminster
Image source, Getty ImagesPresident Macron will soon address members of both Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
Peers have assembled in the elaborately decorated Royal Gallery and MPs are on their way.
On his visit, President Zelensky addressed MPs and peers not here, but in Westminster Hall.
Perhaps that would have been a more diplomatic venue for hosting a French president - as the stand-out features of the Royal Gallery are two enormous, CinemaScope-sized paintings of... the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo.
Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesDowning Street says it expects to make "good progress" on tackling small boat crossings during Macron's time in the UK.
The spokesperson says they won't speculate about the possibility of a deal allowing the UK to return some migrants to France, but says "our joint work with the French is as strong as it's ever been".
Asked whether the UK, as the Conservatives have suggested, should demand a refund of the £800m paid to France to try to stop the crossings, the spokesperson says they've "secured a significant ramping up of the operational capabilities from French law enforcement".
"This year alone, 12,000 crossing attempts have been prevented. Specialist French intelligence units are operating across the beaches and, for the first time ever, their officers are preparing to intervene in shallow waters," they add.
The spokesperson emphasises that there is "no one single solution" to small boat crossings, but says the government is "securing agreements and levels of joint working that have never been seen before with the French".
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor
Image source, GettAt a time of jeopardy in Europe, this three-day visit to Windsor and London promises much more than ceremony. There is a genuine hope that the coming days will make a difference to both countries.
Macron will address MPs and peers at Westminster, and he and Brigitte will be treated to a state banquet back at Windsor.
The trip will culminate with a UK-France summit, co-chaired by Sir Keir Starmer and Macron, during which the two governments hope to reach an agreement on the return of irregular migrants.
They will also host Ukraine's leader by video as they try to maintain arms supplies to his military.
But the wider question is how closely aligned they can really become, and whether they can put any lingering mistrust after Brexit behind them.
And, given that the trip will involve much pageantry, how crucial is King Charles III's role in this diplomacy?
You can read more analysis from our Europe editor, Paul Kirby, in this in-depth piece.
Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from Windsor
Image source, ReutersAs part of this diplomatic schmoozing, President Macron and Brigitte have been shown a display of French-themed items from the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle.
This included Queen Victoria’s journal entry from August 1855, when Victoria had become the first British monarch for 400 years to have visited Paris.
There was also a photograph of King George VI’s state visit to France in 1938 and a decanter of Louis XIII cognac, of the kind served during the trip.
There were also books that once belonged to Napoleon as well as Marie Antoinette’s snuff box.
Image source, ReutersMallory Moench & Sean Coughlan
BBC News
Image source, PA MediaState visits like this are "soft power" opportunities to strengthen trade, cultural and defence ties - in this case with an important European partner.
In 2023, the King and Queen paid a state visit to France, which was seen as a diplomatic success in helping to rebuild relations after Brexit.
King Charles received a standing ovation from the French Senate, after a speech in which he spoke strongly in support of Ukraine, after the "horrifying" invasion by Russia.
As well as set-piece occasions at the Arc de Triomphe and a banquet at the Palace of Versailles, the King went to see environmental projects and a food market in Bordeaux.
Macron's visit is a prime opportunity to reinforce links with a European ally, against a background of uncertainty about negotiations over Ukraine and the threat of tariffs from the United States.
Earlier we saw French president Emmanuel Macron receive a grand welcome as he kicked off his state visit to the UK.
He was met at RAF Northolt by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
They accompanied him to stage set up in Windsor where the King and Queen were waiting.
After the official greeting, King Charles and Macron departed together in an open-topped carriage, followed by Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron in a separate carriage, with the Prince and Princess of Wales behind.
Macron and his wife are having now having lunch with the King and Queen, before he heads to London to address Parliament.
This evening there will be a state banquet for the French president.
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip greet the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at Windsor Castle in March 2008
Emmanuel Macron is the first French president to travel to the UK for a state visit in 17 years.
The last one was in March 2008, when President Nicolas Sarkozy was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II.
The late Queen remarked how there have been many state visits between the UK and France over the centuries, but what continued to stand out to her was the "respectful yet competitive relationship" shared between the two.
It is understood that the French visit was already being planned before an extra invitation was extended to US President Donald Trump earlier this year, making this an increasingly busy year for international royal engagements.
James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesIn the bright Windsor sunshine, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron were given a full regal welcome: marching bands, an open top carriage ride past cheering crowds, a guard of honour at the castle.
Pageantry to revive a relationship so bruised in recent times it’s now 17 years since a French president was last invited on such a visit.
French diplomats hope the next three days will help both countries to move on from the tensions of Brexit and a defence pact with the US and Australia that excluded France.
On his arrival President Macron promised "concrete, effective and lasting" cooperation on defence, nuclear energy and migration.
At a state banquet this evening, the King will say Britain and France face “complex threats” but “as friends and allies” will face them together.
Imogen James
Live reporter
Image source, PA MediaIt has been quite the ceremony so far as the Royal Family welcomed the French president and his wife in the UK for a three-day state visit. Let's take a look at what happened:
A royal greeting: Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron touched down at RAF Northolt just after 11:00 BST. They were met on the red carpet by the Prince and Princess of Wales, before they all drove to Windsor.
A second royal greeting: In Windsor, the King and Queen met the Macrons on a stage, surrounded by household cavalry members.
The carriage procession: From there, the King and French president rode up to the castle in a royal carriage. They were followed by Brigitte and Queen Camilla in a second carriage, and the Prince and Princess of Wales in a third.
The significance: French President Emmanuel Macron is the first European leader to attend a state visit to the UK since Charles III was crowned, and since the UK left the EU. The visit involves ceremony, as well as politics, with the UK prime minister expected to meet Macron.
Coming up: The group will now have lunch in the castle and then tour French items of the Royal Collection. Macron will then head to London, to address Parliament. He ends the busy day with a state banquet back at Windsor Castle.
French President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were met with pomp and pageantry to kick off their three-day state visit to the UK.
Let's take a look at the latest images from the grand welcome.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images