Image: APA/AFP/ODD ANDERSEN
The British King Charles (74) and his wife Camilla (75) landed in Berlin yesterday and started their three-day state visit to Germany. The royal couple arrived punctually at 2:10 p.m. at the military part of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. There it was received with a 21-gun salute – a guest rarely gets that many – and a military guard of honor.
Camilla wore a turquoise-blue coat dress with a matching hat, black knee-high boots and a black bag. As jewelry, she wore a diamond brooch and pearl earrings. King Charles had opted for a gray wool coat with a blue tie (slightly coordinated with Camilla’s coat dress) and pocket square.
After the honorable reception, the Royals drove into the city center in an armored Bentley, where they were received by Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (67) and his wife Elke Büdenbender (61) at the Brandenburg Gate.
Greeting with all honors
After the welcome at Schloss Bellevue, Steinmeier’s official residence, yesterday there was a reception and in the evening a state banquet in honor of the monarch.
Today Berlin’s Mayor Franziska Giffey and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcome the royal couple. Charles is also the first monarch to give a speech in the German Bundestag. Later, the king and Steinmeier meet Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke in Brandenburg, where, among other things, a visit to an organic farm is planned. On Friday, Charles and Camilla take the express train to Hamburg, where the state visit ends.
Germany is the new British king’s first destination ahead of his coronation on May 6th. A previously planned visit to France was postponed because of the pension protests there.
Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised the visit as a confirmation of the close historical ties between Germany and Great Britain. That was “a great personal gesture” and “at the same time an important sign of the German-British relationship,” said Steinmeier at a reception in Bellevue Palace, which dealt with the topic of sustainability. In this context, Steinmeier recalled Charles’ decades-long commitment to environmental protection. His participation in the event is therefore “a message to the citizens” that Great Britain and Germany together see “the dramatic urgency in the fight against climate change”, said the President. The next few years demanded “an enormous effort”. Germany must “do significantly more”.
It was festive in the evening when Steinmeier and Büdenbender received around 130 guests at the state banquet in Bellevue Palace. During his after-dinner speech, Charles pledged to expand cooperation with Germany. He wanted to do “everything to further strengthen our relations”.
The guest list included Economics Minister Robert Habeck (53), ex-Federal President Joachim Gauck (83) and ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel (68). In addition to the politicians, there are also dazzling personalities: for example, singer Campino from “Toten Hosen” (60) and “Let’s Dance” star Motsi Mabuse (41) should dine with the royal couple.
Source: Nachrichten
