Trump's tariffs overshadow the pomp and pageantry as Macron meets King Charles

• The U.K. is pulling out the stops for Emmanuel Macron's state visit, during which the French president and his wife will enjoy a carriage procession to Windsor Castle, as well as a state banquet.
• Macron will address lawmakers in London on Tuesday and hold talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit.
• The specter of global trade uncertainty, and President Trump's tariffs, loom over the meeting.

As French President Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day state visit to the U.K. on Tuesday, it's U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable global tariffs threat that could overshadow the pomp and pageantry that is being laid out by London.

Macron and his wife Brigitte were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, as they arrived in England Tuesday morning, before being whisked off to meet King Charles III and Queen Camilla in Windsor, where a state banquet will be held later.

During the U.K. visit, the French president will 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 were met by the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, before being accompanied to Windsor, where they have taken part in a carriage procession with King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

The king was expected to deliver a speech at the start of the state visit in which he would say 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.”

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.”