Macron's Flirty Gesture Towards Kate Middleton Won't Help Rocky Marriage Rumors
Cordiality was the theme of the state banquet at Windsor Castle July 8, 2025. Kickstarting his visit to the U.K., French President Emmanuel Macron shook hands and smiled with the royal family, before toasting champagne with them during the evening dinner. However, it appeared as though Macron got a little too friendly with his hosts; at one point, he turned to Catherine, Princess of Wales, to clink her glass with his, all the while tossing her a wink. Kate Middleton already has to be careful with showing signs that her marriage to William, Prince of Wales, is on the rocks, but one would think Macron would know better than to flirt with a royal, as rumors of his impending divorce are on the rise.
Some users on X deemed the president "Creepy" after that gesture, with one person even calling him a "sleezeball [sic]." Others were quick to suggest that his actions were another huge red flag in his relationship with his wife, Brigitte. "He's just avoiding Brigitte," a user wrote. It's hard to tell how the princess reacted to Macron's cheeky salute, but if history tells us anything, she likely took it with grace and a smile. While it's no custom greeting in royal tradition, a wink isn't necessarily seen as offensive either — lest we forget Queen Camilla surrendered any royal formalities when she shot a wink at her security during Donald Trump's 2019 U.K. visit.
Was the wink as provocative as it looked?
Catherine, Princess of Wales wasn't the only royal to receive a wink from Emmanuel Macron; a TikTok video from the banquet shows how the French leader was seemingly so charmed by King Charles III's effort to give a speech in French that he gave a wink to other guests in attendance. But that night was also not the only time Macron has expressed himself through a flash of his eyelid. He has been photographed several times winking at the press, cameras, and even fellow world leaders, like former U.S. President Joe Biden and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Instead of being a seductive nod to the gorgeous Princess Kate, Macron's wink might just be his token gesture of appreciation.
Just because his interaction with Kate Middleton was seemingly innocent, it doesn't mean that Macron and his wife haven't shown dozens of other signs that divorce could be in their future. Before even touching U.K. soil on Tuesday, Brigitte gave us a little taste of the possible hostility between herself and her husband. A video showed that she wouldn't take Macron's hand as she walked down the steps of their plane. Prince William and Kate made the French couple look even worse when William chivalrously took his wife's hand later that day.