When the French president arrived in the UK for his three-day state visit, he seemingly made a cheeky comment to King Charles about his eldest son, with a lip reading expert now decoding the message
A lip reader has revealed the cheeky comment French president Emmanuel Macron seemingly made to King Charles about Prince William when he arrived in the UK.
The French leader and his wife Brigitte arrived at the RAF in Northolt on Tuesday where they were greeted by Prince William and Princess Kate, before heading to Windsor for an official welcome ceremony.
While on the dais with King Charles and Queen Camilla outside Windsor Castle, Charles and Macron exchanged pleasantries and, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling, spoke about other members of the royal family.
During their candid chat, President Macron is said to have made a cheeky comment about Prince William, earning him a laugh from the heir to the throne.
According to the lip reader, Macron commented on how tall Prince William is, while comparing him to his much shorter father, The Sun reports.
While gesturing to Prince William, Macron apparently said to King Charles: “He is incredibly tall.” Charles then replied: “He is very tall. He’s six foot one, he is, ever so.”
William then seemingly joined the conversation to correct his father, saying: “Actually, I’m six foot three.” Macron then is said to have replied cheekily to the King: “Unlike us, we’re short!”
King Charles measures in at 5ft 10, while Macron is even shorter than the monarch, at 5ft 7.
The official welcome for the French leader certainly caught the attention of royal fans, with many left perplexed during the ceremony as Prince William and Princess Kate stood awkwardly at the side of the dais, despite their roles as senior working royals.
The strange staging caught the attention of many online, as one person pointed out the staging on X, writing: “Am I the only one who objects to this staging? Who thought it was a good idea to place OUR Prince and Princess of Wales off stage like this? The optics are terrible.”
While several others shared the same sentiment, one royal fan speculated the strict royal protocol that had come into play for the scene, explaining that while the staging may seem unusual, it was actually perfectly normal given William and Kate’s roles as supporting members of the monarchy.
After the official welcome, the French president then joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate inside Windsor Castle for a tour through the royal exhibition, before the opulent state banquet was held on Tuesday night.
More than 160 guests were in attendance at the Castle for the event, with Kate making a surprise appearance in a stunning red floor-length gown. Other royals including Duchess Sophie and Princess Anne were also in attendance, while A-list names such as Elton John and Mick Jagger also snagged an invite.
The royals involvement in the three-day French state visit came to an end on Wednesday when King Charles and Queen Camilla took a tour through the Windsor Castle gardens with the French leader, before bidding the Macrons farewell as they journeyed to London.
French President Emmanuel Macron is the first European leader to attend a state visit to the UK since Charles was crowned, and since the UK left the EU. During the final day of the state visit today, Macron will head to 10 Downing Street for a UK-France Summit.