from our correspondent from BERLIN
“It is important for my wife and I to be here and to renew the special friendship between our two countries, which also meant a lot to my mother.” This is how King Charles III began. in perfect German his Bundestag speech, the first by a British monarch before the German Bundestag.
Making his debut on the international stage, Charles proved up to the task entrusted to him by His Majesty’s Government of cementing the UK’s post-Brexit rapprochement with Germany and Europe. “Our countries stand side by side in the face of the great challenges of our time,” he said.
Alternating between German and English, the sovereign conjured up history and current affairs, cultural and economic connections that see London and Berlin at the top of the world. He was “proud” of these relationships and also spoke of the “dear family relationships” that the Windsors had their roots in Hanover. But he has not forgotten the darker sides of the past, such as the dramatic 1938 rescue of 10,000 German-Jewish children who were transported to Britain and saved from Nazism. And he added a dash of British humour, too, recalling the footballing rivalry between the two nations to one day claim victory, which the England women’s national team defeated Germany 2-1 at last summer’s European Championships.
The war in Ukraine had a special place in the speech. “Countless lives are being destroyed, human dignity and freedom are being brutally trampled on, the security of Europe is being threatened as well as our democratic values. But the world didn’t stand by and watch. We are shocked by so much destruction, but we can take heart from our unity.” Carlo underscored “the vital leadership role” that Germany and the UK are taking and being able to take decisions quickly that were “unimaginable before”. said: “Germany’s decision to provide Ukraine with such great military support is extremely courageous, important and welcome.”
All German MPs and highest authorities were present to listen to the British King, from President of the Republic Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ministers to former Presidents Joachim Gauck and Christian Wulff. “It is a great honor for me to welcome you to the Bundestag,” said Bundestag President Bärbel Bas in the introduction, “our two countries will remain allies even after Great Britain has left the EU, both are in favor of a rules-based world order and share democratic values”.
Before the visit to the Bundestag, Charles and Camilla, who are staying in the historic Hotel Adlon, signed the honor plaque of the state of Berlin in the presence of Mayor Franziska Giffey, while hundreds of people were waiting outside to celebrate the royal couple.
Immediately after the speech, the British guests visited the reception center for Ukrainian refugees set up on the site of the former Tegel Airport. In the afternoon they meet a British-German battalion of military engineers specializing in bridge building before heading to a biodynamic farm in Brandenburg. The program also includes a visit to a social project in the Neukölln district and an evening at the Komische Oper, one of Berlin’s three opera houses. Tomorrow the British royal couple and the German presidential couple will travel to Hamburg for the second and last leg of the trip.