Union Jack and French flags are are displayed down The Mall in London on July 6, 2025, ahead of a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, on July 8, 2025.
Benjamin Cremel | Afp | Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to begin a three-day state visit of pomp, pageantry and political showmanship in the U.K. on Tuesday — but it’s U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable global tariffs threats stateside that are likely to overshadow the red carpet.
Macron and his wife Brigitte will be hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at a state banquet on Tuesday. The French president will later meet business leaders and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks, which are expected to focus on “joint priorities” including migration, trade, defense and security, the U.K. government said.
Looming large is the thorny issue of Washington and how to handle Trump and his unwieldy and unpredictable tariffs regime that could affect severely impact European and global economic growth.
On Monday, Trump shared screenshots on social media of signed “letters” that were purportedly sent to 14 countries, including Japan, South Korea and South Africa, telling them that they faced a steep hike in trade tariffs from Aug. 1. The original July 9 deadline for higher tariffs has been extended.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that further letters will be sent out in the coming days. That has put the European Union (EU), which did not receive a “letter” on Monday, on notice.
Hopes are rising that a U.S.-EU trade deal could be inked this week although how beneficial — or disadvantageous — it will be to Brussels remains a big unknown as Macron, who leads the bloc’s second-largest economy, travels to the U.K.
“The EU is reportedly rushing to conclude a deal with the U.S., possibly by the end of this week already,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, noted Tuesday, emphasizing that “major stumbling blocks remain.”
“The EU seems to have grudgingly accepted that the current 10% U.S. base tariff in addition to some sectoral tariffs cannot be negotiated away. The EU still hopes to get some limited exemptions from these tariffs, for example for aircraft and aircraft parts, so that the overall rise in the average U.S. tariff on imports from the EU this year will be below 10 percentage points. The U.S. is so far threatening to impose higher tariffs than that,” he said.
Pomp and pageantry
Britain is certainly pulling out the stops for Macron’s state visit, which will have all the pomp and pageantry that the country excels at.
On Tuesday, the Macrons are due to travel to the U.K., where they will be met by the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate. There, they will take part in a carriage procession with King Charles III and Queen Camilla heading to Windsor Castle, before attending a glamorous state banquet on site on Tuesday evening.
Britain’s King Charles III talks with France’s President Emmanuel Macron, watched by Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), during a reception for European Leaders, as part of the European Political Community meeting, at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, southern England, on July 18, 2024.
Hollie Adams | Afp | Getty Images
The king is expected to deliver a speech at the start of the state visit in which he says that the U.K. and France “face a multitude of complex threats, emanating from multiple directions. As friends and as allies, we face them together. These challenges know no borders: no fortress can protect us against them this time,” according to Sky News.
The Macrons are known to have a warm relationship with the British royals. Tellingly, the king last won plaudits from Paris when he addressed the French Senate in both English and French, which he speaks fluently, during a state visit in 2023.
Macron is also due to address lawmakers in London around 4 p.m. London time on Tuesday, will meet business leaders in London on Wednesday and will hold talks at a France-British summit with Starmer on Thursday.
This is the first state visit by an EU leader on British soil since the U.K. acrimoniously left the bloc in 2020 following the 2016 Brexit referendum. The British government said the visit “will provide a historic opportunity to showcase the breadth of the U.K.-France relationship.”
Flags outside Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London on July 6, 2025, ahead of a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, on July 8, 2025.
Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty Images
Starmer, who seems to have ingratiated himself with Trump despite their different political persuasions, might be able to give Macron some tips on how to win over their transatlantic ally, as the EU continues trade negotiations with Washington.
Trump stated matter-of-factly that the U.K. was the first country to strike a trade deal with Washington, and was likely to be protected from future tariffs, “because I like them.” Macron has meanwhile had a trickier ride with the U.S. leader, who has humiliated him more than once. In June, at the last G-7 meeting, Trump lambasted Macron as “publicity seeking.”
