It was supposed to be a glittering, well-behaved state banquet at Windsor Castle on July 8, 2025. All champagne toasts, practiced smiles, and polite diplomacy. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived with his best diplomatic charm on display, shaking hands with the royal family and raising his glass with all the right people.
But then, in true headline-grabbing fashion, he added a dash of cheeky French flair that got everyone talking. While clinking glasses with Catherine, Princess of Wales, he winked.
Macron winking at Princess Catherine is extremely rude.
As is telling our country what to do. Why all the fuss for such an unpleasant man? https://t.co/GqmFJxZfhG— Angela Levin (@angelalevin1) July 9, 2025
Now, a little wink might seem harmless, but let’s be real. It’s the kind of thing guaranteed to set social media ablaze when it’s aimed at the future Queen of England. Some X users branded Macron “creepy,” with one calling him a “sleezeball \[sic]” for the move, while others couldn’t help but speculate about trouble in his own marriage, joking, “He’s just avoiding Brigitte.”
After all, Brigitte Macron didn’t exactly squash the rumor mill herself, she was caught on video giving her husband the cold shoulder while stepping off their plane, refusing his hand.
And really, should anyone be shocked by a little cheeky drama? Just weeks ago, the Macrons had their own “slapgate” moment go viral. Brigitte was caught on camera giving Emmanuel’s hand a swift little smack as they walked down the steps of their plane. Social media couldn’t get enough of it, with everyone speculating if that sassy swat was playful teasing or the sign of serious tension bubbling over.
As for Kate Middleton? If there was any sign she found Macron’s salute inappropriate, she didn’t let it show. Grace under pressure is practically her brand, after all. Royal watchers suggested she probably handled it with her signature smile and calm poise. And really, a wink isn’t a crime in royal etiquette. Remember Queen Camilla shooting a wink at her security during Donald Trump’s 2019 visit?
Besides, Macron is no stranger to winking. A TikTok clip from the same Windsor dinner even shows him tossing another wink toward fellow guests after King Charles III bravely delivered part of his speech in French. He’s been caught flashing that sly eyelid at journalists, cameras, even former world leaders like Joe Biden and Angela Merkel.
Can we please stop reading too much into President Macron’s wink at the Princess of Wales? It looked like a harmless, light-hearted moment nothing scandalous. These things often happen in the blink of an eye (literally), & a still photo can make it seem like more than it was.… pic.twitter.com/8vFPkuPVYa
— Comments Section (@CandidCoverage) July 9, 2025
So while Macron’s toast to Kate may have turned into tabloid fodder, maybe it wasn’t seduction so much as his trademark way of saying, “Merci.”
Of course, even if this particular moment was innocent, the optics didn’t do the Macrons any favors. Prince William and Kate, hand-in-hand and perfectly polished, only brought out the contrast. Watching Brigitte sidestep Emmanuel’s hand on the tarmac was the icing on the gossip cake. Now, the world is wondering, is the French first couple on the verge of a royal-level split of their own?
