King Charles III makes a state visit to the Federal Republic of Germany

Britain’s King Charles III
Britain’s King Charles III travels to Germany on Wednesday for his first foreign visit in this capacity, without first stopping in France as originally planned. More than six months after assuming the British throne, Charles III’s plans to make his first foreign visit to France were thwarted by the demonstrations against the pension reform in that country. He was supposed to go first to Paris on March 27 and then arrive in Berlin on March 29, but he gave up the first stage of this tour considering the tense social context in France. Buckingham Palace, which confirmed the postponement of the visit to France on Friday, said it would take place “as soon as available dates can be found”.For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the possibility of Charles III coming to France “at the beginning of the summer”.
The British monarch and Queen consort Camilla will arrive in Berlin on Wednesday and stay in Germany for three days, until March 31. The royal couple will be received with military honors at the Brandenburg Gate. It is the first time that such a ceremony has been held for a state guest at this iconic monument in Berlin. Charles III will travel to the Presidential Palace, where a reception will be held in his honor, an opportunity to celebrate the friendship between the two countries. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will accompany the British monarch for the entire duration of the visit, qualified the arrival of King Charles III as an “important European gesture”. On Thursday, King Charles III will deliver a speech in the German parliament and meet with Ukrainian refugees. President Steinmeier and the British royal couple will then visit a German-British military unit in Brandenburg, located west of Berlin. On Friday, the King will travel to Hamburg, the second most populous German city, where he will visit a renewable energy project. He will also lay a wreath at the Saint-Nicolas church in Hamburg, which was destroyed in World War II and later turned into a memorial. The German head of state welcomed the fact that his invitation, formulated during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September, was honored so quickly by Charles III, who knows Germany very well, a country where he has traveled more than 40 times. “The fact that he is coming now, after only six months, shows the extent to which the king appreciates the friendship between our peoples”, insisted the German president. The last visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Germany, carried out in 2015, triggered a wave of enthusiasm in the country.
By Sara Colin