King Charles tells Emmanuel Macron: You have the wine but we have the humour

It started with a blustery exit from the plane (that almost claimed the Queen’s hat) and ended in the more salubrious confines of the Palace of Versailles, in the exalted company of Mick Jagger and Hugh Grant.

Along the way, there was the obligatory tree planting, a remembrance ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe culminating in a spectacular flypast and an exchange of gifts at the Elysee Palace.

The King, 74, and Queen, 76, were “enormously touched” to be given a “magnificent welcome” as they arrived in Paris for their first state visit to France.

As His Majesty addressed guests gathered in the Hall of Mirrors for a lavish state banquet on Wednesday night, he said the visit - postponed from March - had been “worth the wait”.