British King Charles is to host French President Emmanuel Macron on a state visit to the UK from July 8-10, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The French leader and his wife Brigitte Macron would stay at Windsor Castle and will be feted with a state banquet at the historic Berkshire royal residence.

Buckingham Palace said: “The President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Mrs Brigitte Macron, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom in July.

“The President and Mrs Macron would stay at Windsor Castle.”

The King and Queen paid a state visit to France in September 2023 and enjoy a warm rapport with the French leader and his wife.

Camilla embraced Mrs Macron when they met again in December in London to give out prizes at the Entente Litteraire Prize award ceremony, an Anglo-French initiative which celebrates books aimed at teenagers and young adults.

Ongoing refurbishments at Buckingham Palace mean state visits have been relocated to Windsor for the foreseeable future.

The invitation to Mr Macron, for what would be his first state visit to the UK, comes eight years after he took office.

The last state visit to the UK from France was in March 2008 when President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni also stayed at Windsor as the late Queen Elizabeth II’s guest.

The event would be seen as a bid by the UK Government to strengthen ties with Europe and protect its economy after the turmoil sparked by U.S. president Donald Trump’s tariffs.

It is taking place ahead of Mr Trump’s invitation to meet the King, which is reportedly being arranged for September.

The UK struck an economic deal with the American leader a earlier which cut tariffs on car exports and reduced tariffs on steel and aluminium, and kept a 10 per cent baseline tariff on most goods.

The Government is currently in talks with the EU regarding its trade and security relationship ahead of a summit later in May.

The King, who is still being treated for cancer, has a busy run of engagements in the coming weeks including an overseas visit to Canada to open the country’s parliament at the end of May. (dpa/NAN)

 Pope Leo XIV will take questions from international pressmen at a news conference on Monday.

The Pope is expected to address several hundred journalists who have been reporting from the Vatican since the death of his predecessor, Pope Francis, last month.

The new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, was elected on Thursday as the head of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.

The question-and-answer session may offer insights into how he intends to lead the Church and the key issues he plans to prioritize.

At 69, Pope Leo XIV is the first pope from the United States and the second from the Americas, following Pope Francis.

His inauguration Mass is scheduled to take place on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square.(dpa/NAN)

 China on Friday congratulated the newly elected Pope Leo XIV and expressed hope for a “steady” improvement in relations with the Vatican.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lin Jian stated this while speaking with reporters in the Chinese capital.

According to Lin, he hopes that under the new Pope’s leadership, the Vatican will continue dialogue with China in a constructive spirit, deepen communication on international issues of mutual concern.

He also expressed hope that they would continue to work together to steadily advance China-Vatican relations, while contributing to global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

The Vatican on Tuesday announced that American Cardinal Robert Prevost had been elected as the new Pope, taking the name Leo XIV.

He is the first American-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church.

In 2024, Beijing had extended a provisional agreement with the Holy See by four years regarding the appointment of bishops.

The agreement which allows both sides to have a role in selecting bishops for China’s Catholic community, which numbers around 12 million in the world’s second most populous countr. (AA/NAN)