An unexpected diplomatic incident occurred during a state dinner in Windsor on July 8. French President Emmanuel Macron delivered almost his entire speech under the castle arches — about the “hardships of the trenches” and the “sacrifices of the allies” — exclusively in French. This was enough to upset Patrick Christie, host of the popular British channel GB News, who interrupted the live broadcast, according to Le Figaro.

"I must intervene now because Emmanuel Macron, President of France, does not deem it necessary to show courtesy and speak English, even though he is fluent in the language. So we will wait and continue the broadcast if he speaks English,“ Christie said. Later in the studio, a guest on the show said: ”The president delivered 80% of his speech in French. I find this offensive. The king nodded, but it was clear that he understood very little. Yes, he speaks French, but at a schoolboy level.“ And further: ”Speaking a foreign language in front of the king is like whispering. It should be perceived in the same way. Would you dare whisper in the presence of His Majesty?"

King Charles III, on the other hand, inserted several phrases in French himself — as he did during his speech to the French Senate in 2023 — and even recalled that it was after the Norman conquest that English fell behind French in all areas of elite life for centuries. In medieval England, French was not only the language of the court and the nobility, but also the official language of state acts — which explains Richard the Lionheart's famous motto, “Dieu et mon droit” (God and my right).

A diplomatic touch with a dash of linguistic jealousy

It would seem that the details of the protocol and the menu — from pastis to English sparkling wine produced by a French champagne house — underscored the symbolic union between the two sides of the English Channel. But “language” once again became a bone of contention.

The French public, on the other hand, saw the TV presenter's harsh response as a reminder that, despite the global expansion of English, the language of Molière had been the language of international diplomacy for centuries.

And yet, the irony is that Macron himself has been repeatedly criticized by French purists for the abundance of English in his official rhetoric. In the summer of 2024, he spoke in English during a press conference at the Élysée Palace ahead of the Paris Olympics, sparking controversy over a violation of the second article of the Constitution. He had previously been accused of excessive enthusiasm for Anglicisms: “One Ocean Summit” in Brest, “Meet Africa” or “Digital Challenge” — English is increasingly replacing French in the official names of initiatives.