King Charles was kept waiting for 20 minutes by President Emmanuel Macron on the monarch's first overseas engagement since his cancer diagnosis.

The King, 75, was accompanied by his wife, Queen Camilla, 76, for a D-Day ceremony in Normandy, France.

The King and Queen were kept waiting by President Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, who were 20 minutes late for the showpiece memorial ceremony.

The royals were pleased to see the couple when they did arrive, with traditional handshakes and curtsies afforded to Their Majesties.

The King and Macron began catching up while Camilla and Brigitte looked animated as they chatted.

The two women, both wearing white dresses with striking blonde hair, spoke with World War II veterans during the event.

The duo laid a wreath at the memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, where Camilla seemed somewhat more reluctant to take Brigitte's hand as she paused in a moment of reflection.

After appearing to give the royal's hand a slight squeeze, Brigitte dropped it and the two stood side by side at the memorial.

President Macron was seen snapping a photo of the King and Queen with the young fan, who wore a poppy for the occasion.

Charles and Camilla were left waiting for the French President and First Lady ahead of the 80th anniversary event at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer.

King Charles and Queen Camilla did not comment on the President's apparent lack of punctuality.

However, the incident was widely reported in the French media.

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Cnews, the TV news outlet, wrote: "While the King and Queen of England were already installed, Emmanuel Macron and his wife arrived 20 minutes late for the Franco-British ceremony, which shocked the English."

On Tuesday, Macron was almost an hour late when he turned up at the first D-Day commemoration in Plumelec, Brittany.

There was no immediate comment from the Élysee Palace.

Elsewhere, Prince William was pictured at Juno Beach, where hundreds of Canadian troops lost their lives, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.