King Charles III of the United Kingdom will start his first official visit on Wednesday when he arrives in Germany after cancelling a planned trip to France owing to intense political unrest.
During his three-day trip, Charles will start in Berlin and perform engagements there as well as in Brandenburg before moving on to Hamburg.
It is widely believed that the choice to visit close neighbours first is an effort to forge post-Brexit ties; German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called it “an important European gesture.”
He said, “This early visit highlights the close and genuine friendship between our countries and citizens.”
At Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Steinmeier and German first lady Elke Buedenbender will formally greet Charles and Queen Consort Camilla. This is the first time that a famous monument has served as the setting for welcoming a state visitor.
The couples will then proceed to Steinmeier’s Bellevue Palace in the heart of the city, where the princes will attend a state banquet.
On Thursday, the monarch will address the German federal parliament and meet with freshly arriving Ukrainian refugees.
The royal couple and Steinmeier will next go to a German-British military unit in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg.
On Friday, the monarch will go on to Hamburg where he will see a project for renewable energy.
