Brigitte’s big bonjour! President Macron’s wife, 70, greets Queen Camilla as she and King Charles land in Paris for their state visit

• Camilla appeared to experience a ‘Marilyn moment’ as  in France today
• READ MORE:  Chairs used at King Charles’ Coronation are up for auction – but who sat in them remains a mystery

Queen Camilla has been greeted in Paris in inimitable style by France’s own grande dame – Brigitte Macron, wife of the president of France.

The Queen is in France for a state visit with her husband, King Charles III, and was swept from the airport to the Arc de Triomphe in the centre of the capital to greet Mrs Macron and her husband Emmanuel.

The heads of state for both countries were set to take part in a ceremony of remembrance and wreath laying later today.

Queen Camilla wore a dusky pink wool crepe coat dress by Fiona Clare with a Charlotte Elizabeth crossbody beige handbag, which was paired with a show-stopping hat from milliner Philip Treacy.

Images released during the first day of the visit showed the Queen and Mrs Macron sharing a joke as they emerged from the Elysee Palace in the French capital.

Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla share a laugh as they leave the Elysee Palace in Paris as King Charles III makes his first state visit to France

The pair were driven down the Champs Elysee together in a car behind another carrying their respective husbands

As the heads of state for the UK and France met, Mr Macron greeted the Queen with a kiss to the hand, as Charles looked on

The pair appeared to be in deep conversation as they left the Elysee Palace – the official residence of the French president

Today, the royal couple were greeted at the foot of the aircraft stairs by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, foreign secretary James Cleverly, the UK’s ambassador to France Dame Menna Rawlings and the French Ambassador to the UK, Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne. 

Driven down the Champs-Elysees towards their talks at the Elysee Palace, Macron and the king were earlier seen chatting amicably while Camilla and Macron’s wife Brigitte followed behind in a similar vehicle. 

As they met, Mr Macron greeted the Queen with a kiss to the hand, as Charles looked on.

The royals arrived in Paris this afternoon amid a major security operation – six months after they were forced to postpone their trip because of violent protests in the country. 

Their visit also aims to showcase Charles’ stature as a statesman just over a year after the death of his mother and predecessor Queen Elizabeth II. 

Charles and Camilla were met outside the Versailles palace by Macron and his wife Brigitte, before going in to join other guests.

Guests at the dinner included luminaries ranging from the British rock legend Mick Jagger, the French former manager of the Arsenal football team Arsene Wenger and the world’s richest man, the luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault.

The menu will include delicacies like blue lobster cooked as a starter by star chef Anne-Sophie Pic, who has said she was inspired by the tastes of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, who built Versailles.

Other dinner guests in the glittering Hall of Mirrors included English celebrity Hugh Grant and Charlotte Gainsbourg, the actor and daughter of French singer Serge Gainsbourg and British actor Jane Birkin.

On Thursday, Charles, Camilla, Macron and his wife Brigitte will visit the Notre-Dame cathedral to view restoration works following a massive blaze in 2019 that destroyed its roof.

Charles and Camilla will then head to the southwestern city of Bordeaux on Friday, where excursions will include a visit to an organic vineyard.

Charles and Camilla arrived in Paris this afternoon amid a major security operation – six months after they were forced to postpone their trip because of violent protests in the country. Pictured with Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron

Queen Camilla appeared to experience a ‘Marilyn moment’ as she touched down in France today when a gust of wind took her by surprise

The royal, 76, climbed down the plane in a dusky pink wool crepe coat dress by Fiona Clare with a Charlotte Elizabeth crossbody beige handbag, which was paired with a show-stopping hat from milliner Philip Treacy

Professional as ever, Camilla rectified the mishap within seconds as she descended the steps of the aircraft at Paris airport to join her husband, King Charles, on his first state visit to France since he ascended the throne

Today, the royal couple were also greeted at the foot of the aircraft stairs received by foreign secretary James Cleverly, the UK’s ambassador to France Dame Menna Rawlings and the French Ambassador to the UK, Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne

The couple last visited France in 2019, attending a service in Bayeux Cathedral to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. Queen Elizabeth II, and the Duke of Edinburgh undertook a State Visit to France in 2014

Taking to social media to welcome the monarch shortly before his arrival, President Macron shared a video montage of achieve footage of the King’s previous 34 trips to the country as Prince of Wales.

The poignant videos span over decades, some showing a very young Charles while others show him speaking in French, at one point admitting ‘I don’t practice the French language enough’.

The President proudly shared the montage, captioning it: ‘You visited as a Prince, you return as a King. Your Majesty, welcome.’

Charles, 76, and Camilla, 74, will divide their time between Paris and Bordeaux packing in 21 high-profile engagements in just three days.

It is Charles’s 35th official visit to France, and Camilla’s ninth official visit.

The couple last visited France in 2019, attending a service in Bayeux Cathedral to mark the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. Queen Elizabeth II, and the Duke of Edinburgh undertook a State Visit to France in 2014.

An officer and 20 guardsmen of the Republic Guard, which is part of the French National Gendarmerie, lined up to greet the King and Queen on a rolled out red carpet.

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Sharing footage of the King being welcomed onto his jet in London this morning, Charles and Camilla said in a joint Tweet: ‘We are so looking forward to joining you in Paris and Bordeaux, as we embark on our first State Visit as King and Queen to France, a country for which we both have the greatest love and admiration.

‘We will celebrate the special bond between our two countries and all that your wonderful country has to offer. À bientôt France!’

As part of the Anglo-French charm offensive, President Macron will host a state banquet in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles while the King will become the first British royal to address the French senate, speaking in both English and French.

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