King Charles III and Queen Camilla welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender to the UK on Wednesday for a three-day state visit - the first by a German leader in 27 years. The visit comes months after the two countries signed the Kensington Treaty in July, pledging closer cooperation on trade, security, and defence.
The Prince and Princess of Wales greeted the German couple at Heathrow Airport before a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle. The formal reception took place on an open-air royal dais in the centre of Windsor, followed by a carriage ride through the streets to the castle. A state banquet in the historic St George's Hall was scheduled for Wednesday evening, where both the King and President Steinmeier are expected to deliver speeches.
Political talks and parliamentary address
President Steinmeier held talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting included business leaders to emphasize the economic importance of UK-German relations. Starmer had pledged following the Kensington Treaty signing that the two countries would "work ever more closely."
On Thursday, Steinmeier will address Parliament - a privilege not extended to US President Donald Trump during his previous UK visit. The President will also receive an honorary degree from Oxford University and visit the David Bowie Centre at the Victoria and Albert Museum's new wing in east London, highlighting cultural connections between the two nations.
Reconciliation and remembrance
A particularly poignant element of the visit occurs on Friday, when Steinmeier will travel to Coventry to lay a wreath at the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. The visit marks the 85th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz in November 1940, when German bombing killed 568 people and destroyed 4,300 homes along with the Cathedral Church of St Michael. A new cathedral was completed in 1962.
The visit mirrors King Charles's own state visit to Germany in 2023, when he became the first British monarch to address German politicians in the Bundestag and remembered civilian casualties of wartime Allied bombing raids in Hamburg. Coventry is twinned with the German cities of Kiel and Dresden, recognizing their shared experiences of devastating wartime bombings.
Cultural exchanges
The itinerary includes several cultural elements highlighting the historical ties between the two nations. The German guests will be shown a State Sleigh designed by Queen Victoria's German-born husband Prince Albert in 1845. On Thursday morning, they will lay flowers at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II in St George's Chapel.
Elke Budenbender will visit Judith Kerr Primary School in south-east London, celebrating the school's connection to its namesake, the German-born British author and illustrator of "The Tiger Who Came to Tea." President Steinmeier will also meet German Premier League footballers during the visit.
The King and Queen will host a Big Help Out reception at the castle on Thursday morning to showcase the impact of volunteering. The last German state visit to the UK took place in 1998, when Queen Elizabeth II hosted President Roman Herzog at Windsor Castle.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
