Accompanied by Camilla, the queen consort, Charles III arrives in Berlin a few days after the cancellation of the planned trip to France.
King Charles III of the United Kingdom arrived in Germany for his first state visit abroad as a monarch, after the first leg of the trip to France was delayed.
Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, received a 21-gun salute after landing at Berlin’s government airport early Wednesday afternoon as two military planes conducted an overflight.
Ahead of the three-day visit, the couple said on Twitter via the Royal Family’s account that they were “very much looking forward to meeting everyone who makes this country so special”.
“It is a great joy to be able to continue deepening the long-standing friendship between our two nations,” they said.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender meet the British Royal Family at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. They are to accompany Charles and Camilla on their trip and host a white-tie dinner at Schloss Bellevue, the German president’s official residence, on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, the king is due to deliver a speech in front of the Bundestag, the German parliament. He will also meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, talk to Ukrainian refugees and meet British and German military personnel working on joint projects. In the afternoon he will visit an organic farm outside of Berlin.
About 1,500 spectators were admitted to the cordoned off area around the famous Berlin landmark on Wednesday to welcome the royal family, German news agency dpa reported.
Charles, 74, who ascended to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September, is due to be crowned on May 6. He had originally planned to visit France for the first time, but the first leg of his trip was canceled due to massive protests about the planned pension changes there.
The visit by European Union powers France and Germany was aimed at highlighting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to rebuild relations with the bloc after UK exit and highlight their shared history as they fight against Russian military action in Ukraine.
Sunak hopes the goodwill created by a royal visit can pave the way for progress on other post-Brexit issues, including the UK’s return to an EU program that funds scientific research across the world. ‘Europe.
In Germany, the king faces the first great test of whether he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades, and become an effective channel for “soft power”. ” which the House of Windsor traditionally exercises.
The visit will also be an opportunity to highlight the causes that are dear to him, such as sustainable development and the environment.
The royal couple plan to travel to Hamburg on Friday, where they will attend a green energy event and visit the Kindertransport memorial for Jewish children who fled Germany to the UK during the Third Reich, before returning UK.
