But it was his wife Carla Bruni who captured the nation's attention as the couple received a Royal welcome on the first day of their state visit.

The pomp and pageantry began as the President and his wife were greeted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall after touching down at Heathrow Airport, before being taken to Windsor to meet the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.

President Sarkozy, who has called for a new "Franco-British brotherhood" will take part in a summit today with Prime Minister Gordon Brown to discuss issues such as global finance, the threat from Iran, war in Afghanistan and the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.

However, all eyes were on former supermodel-turned-singer Ms Bruni who is taking part in her first state visit as the French first lady.

She drew comparisons with Jackie Kennedy as she stepped off the plane wearing a restrained high-necked grey coat and matching hat – in sharp contrast to the photographs printed in UK newspapers yesterday of her posing naked, taken during her modelling career.

Ms Bruni received a taste of old-fashioned chivalry when the Prince of Wales kissed her hand at the airport and, today, she will be the guest of honour at a lunch being held by the Prime Minister's wife Sarah Brown.

Last night, the couple attended a state banquet at Windsor Castle where the visiting President sat between The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, while Ms Bruni enjoyed the company of the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales.

Other guests included the leaders of the three main political parties and sailing hero Dame Ellen MacArthur who is due to receive the Legion d'Honneur from President Sarkozy today.

Before attending the banquet the French President addressed both Houses of Parliament where he heaped praise on the UK and called for the two countries to "write a new page in our common history".

In his speech, he hailed a relationship dating back 1,000 years, praising the UK's democracy, the armed forces and the "dynamism" of the country's cities and way of life.

Before the President addressed parliamentarians, both he and his wife paid a formal tribute to those killed in war, when they visited the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey.

During his address, he received rapturous applause as he paid tribute to the sacrifice of past generations of British servicemen in liberating France.

He said: "On behalf of the people of France, France will never forget. France will never forget that when it was virtually wiped out, down on its knees, it was Britain who stood by us."

He also hinted that France may be about to step up its commitment to the war in Afghanistan.

Praising the UK he said: "This Parliament arose and stood through a struggle for the protection of individual freedoms, and this is the lesson that you, the British, have taught the rest of the world," he said.

"This Parliament, your Parliament, was the first anywhere in the world to achieve the results of parliamentary democracy.

"The result of this is that you represent the touchstone of everything our democracies stand for.," he said.