Emmanuel Macron begins first state visit to Spain with Royal Palace military ceremony

Military honours at the Royal Palace

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrived in Madrid on Tuesday for a two-day official state visit to Spain. Their arrival at the Plaza de la Armería at the Royal Palace followed a flight delay of nearly one hour. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia received the French presidential couple at carside before ascending the grandstand for formal military protocol. The reception included horse-mounted scouts, cuirassiers, lancers, and a bugle and kettledrum band, alongside 32 halberdiers from the Royal Guard. A 21-gun artillery salute accompanied the national anthems of France and Spain. Felipe VI and Macron then reviewed the Royal Guard honours battalion alongside Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón.

Institutional delegations and official itinerary

Following the military parade of the Honours Company, the heads of state greeted official delegations from both countries. The Spanish delegation was led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who joined the ceremony after a Council of Ministers meeting that approved domestic housing measures. Other Spanish officials included Congress President Francina Armengol, Senate President Pedro Rollán, Constitutional Court President Cándido Conde-Pumpido, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, and Madrid Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso. After the palace ceremony, both couples transferred to the Palacio de la Zarzuela for a private lunch and a bilateral meeting between Felipe VI and Macron. The first day concludes with a formal gala dinner and speeches at the Royal Palace.

Diplomatic history and security cooperation

This visit represents Macron's first state visit to Spain since he took office in 2017. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia previously met the French president during three trips to Paris, including a Joan Miró retrospective in 2018, a European terrorism victims tribute at Trocadero in 2020, and the 2024 Olympic Games opening reception. On Wednesday, Macron is scheduled to hold formal bilateral talks with Pedro Sánchez and tour the European Union Satellite Centre at the Torrejón air base. Bilateral defence coordination remains a shared priority as Spain and France maintain aligned positions on European security and the Russian threat. Next week, the Spanish monarchs will travel to Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometre border with Russia.

Bilateral treaties and economic ties

Economic and legal frameworks form a central part of the bilateral relationship between both neighbours. France is Spain's largest trading partner globally and its third-largest source of foreign investment. Bilateral ties are also shaped by the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which received clearance from Spain's Constitutional Court last week following parliamentary challenges regarding mutual cabinet attendance. The treaty now awaits a final vote in the Spanish Senate. While security and immigration coordination remain active, unresolved policy differences persist, particularly regarding cross-border energy interconnections that French authorities continue to reject.