King Charles set to arrive in Germany for first overseas state visit

King Charles will touch down in Berlin today for his first overseas state visit as monarch before attending a state banquet with the Queen Consort and addressing Germany’s parliament. 

Charles and Camilla are spending three days in Germany after their planned trip to France was postponed in the face of political protests against President Macron’s plans to raise the retirement age. 

They will attend a white-tie banquet hosted by their friends, German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Buedenbender, at the Bellevue Palace – Germany’s presidential residence.

Charles is expected to make a speech in both English and German. He is said to be highly proficient in the language, like his late father, Prince Philip, who was fluent.

The monarch has previously spoken about how he ‘cherishes’ his ties with his German ancestry. 

Today, Union Jack flags have been raised along Berlin’s central Unter den Linden avenue, which leads to the Brandenburg Gate, in anticipation of the monarch’s arrival

Prince Rainer of Hesse, Princess Clarissa of Hesse, Prince Georg of Hanover and Prince Ludwig of Baden all count the King as a first cousin and he is also closely related to Bernard, hereditary prince of Baden and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. 

Today, Union Jack flags have been raised along Berlin’s central Unter den Linden avenue, which leads to the Brandenburg Gate, in anticipation of the monarch’s arrival.

Mr Steinmeier and German first lady will welcome Charles and Camilla with military honours at the famous landmark, the first time it has provided a backdrop for receiving a state guest.

Charles will also become the first monarch to address the German parliament during a speech tomorrow, before travelling to the port city of Hamburg on Friday.

He will also meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, talk to Ukrainian refugees and meet with British and Germany military personnel who are working together on joint projects. 

It is the first joint battalion between the counties for more than two centuries and was reinstituted 18 months ago. 

The decision to call on close neighbours first is widely seen as an attempt to build a closer relationship with Europe’s largest economy post-Brexit.     

Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will be welcomed with military honours at the famous landmark, the first time it has provided a backdrop for receiving a state guest

The scene by the Brandenburg Gate this morning as Berlin prepares for the royal visit 

Charles and Camilla were due to begin the first state visit of the King’s reign to France on Sunday but the trip was shelved after a night of violent demonstrations across France that led to hundreds of arrests and police being injured.

President Emmanuel Macron said the four-day state visit was likely to be rescheduled for the beginning of summer, after Downing Street confirmed the French leader had asked the British Government to postpone the trip.

Sylvie Bermann, who served as Paris’s ambassador to Britain between 2014 and 2017, said Mr Macron wanted the visit to go ahead ‘until the last minute’ before realising the situation was untenable.

She said a planned state banquet at the Palace of Versailles for Charles and Camilla would ‘not have given a good image’.

Lord Ricketts, a former national security adviser, said the lavish Versailles dinner would have had ‘echoes’ of the French revolution if it had gone ahead during a public outcry at Mr Macron’s decision to push back the national retirement age.

Charles’ German cousins include Prince Rainer of Hesse (left) and Prince Ludwig of Baden (right)