King Charles visits Germany on first trip abroad

Britain’s King Charles III has travelled to Germany for his first state visit abroad.

The three-day trip will feature an address before the German parliament and a meeting with Ukrainian refugees.

Charles, who is travelling with his wife, Camilla, the queen consort, will be received with a 21-gun salute at Berlin’s airport on Wednesday afternoon, before he travels on to the Brandenburg Gate.

In front of a crowd of well-wishers, the king will be the first state guest ever to be greeted with military honours at the Berlin landmark.

The next item on the agenda is a reception and discussion at Bellevue Palace, the official residence of German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, about energy transition and sustainable development.

In the evening, Steinmeier will host a state banquet for Charles with around 130 guests.

Charles had planned to visit France before coming to Germany. But that leg of his journey was postponed due to the widespread social unrest triggered by President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

Charles’ trip, which comes just weeks before his coronation on May 6, is seen as marking a new beginning in the partnership between Germany and Britain.

Exactly six years ago, on March 29, 2017, the British government officially announced its exit from the European Union. Brexit was completed on Jan. 31, 2020.

The German president’s office said before the visit that London and Berlin were looking to leave the “turmoil of separation” behind them.

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