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King Charles III
and his wife Camilla: on a trip to Germany at the end of March
Photo: OLI SCARFF / AFP
King Charles III
will travel to Germany at the end of March.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender will welcome the 74-year-old and his wife Camilla, 75, on their first trip abroad as the new royal couple on March 29 in Berlin, as the Office of the Federal President announced.
After a reception with military honors, a state banquet is planned for the evening at Bellevue Palace.
Dates in Berlin and Brandenburg are planned for March 30th.
According to reports, Charles should also give a speech in the Bundestag.
At the end of the visit, Steinmeier and Büdenbender should accompany the royal couple to Hamburg.
The Hamburg Senate said that Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) would welcome the royal couple to City Hall on March 31 for an entry in the Hanseatic city's Golden Book.
'The visit of King Charles III.
and Queen Consort Camilla is a great honor for the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,” said Tschentscher.
"It strengthens the good relations between the United Kingdom and the Hanseatic city, which is considered the 'most British city on the continent'."
Charles has been the British monarch since the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8 of last year.
His coronation is to take place at the beginning of May, and preparations are in full swing.
As heir to the throne, Charles has often been a guest in Germany - most recently on the day of national mourning in November 2020. At the central commemoration in the Bundestag, he evoked the deep partnership between Great Britain and Germany.
Observers also consider the choice of his first travel destinations to be a strong sign.
Before his visit to Germany, Charles wants to meet President Emmanuel Macron in France.
The French newspaper Le Parisien reported in January that he had already invited Charles during the Queen's funeral service.
»Important European gesture«
"The fact that King Charles chose Germany and France as the first travel destinations before his coronation is also an important European gesture," Steinmeier said in a video message.
»I would like to say to him, but of course also to all Britons: We in Germany, we in Europe, wish for close and friendly relations with the United Kingdom even after Brexit.«
The fact that Charles traveled to Germany six months after his mother's death "shows how much the king values the friendship between our peoples," said Steinmeier.
wit/dpa/AFP