King Charles hails Anglo-German ties in speech to Bundestag

 By dpa correspondents l Friday, March 31, 2023

BERLIN – King Charles III addressed the German parliament on Thursday, the second day of a three-day state visit, delivering the speech both in German and English.

“It means a huge amount to me and my wife that we were invited to Germany for my first foreign visit as king,” said Charles, beginning his speech in German.

He was the first monarch ever to speak in Germany’s parliament.

War in Europe was a focus of his speech, with Charles paying tribute to Germany’s staunch defence of Ukraine and outlining the key leadership role Germany and Britain have taken on since the outbreak of Russia’s war.

Germany’s military support to Ukraine was “extremely courageous, significant and welcome,” Charles told the Bundestag in the presence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the presidents of both chambers.

Britain and Germany, as the largest donors of support to Ukraine, had reacted decisively and taken decisions that would have been unimaginable previously, Charles said.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine had brought inconceivable suffering to many innocent people. “Countless lives have been destroyed … The security of Europe has been threatened,” the king said.

The king said he was moved by the outpouring of condolences following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II last year.

The late queen knew how important reconciliation between the two European powers was and made efforts to consolidate the relationship on her many visits to Germany, he said. “Maybe that’s why she earned a special place in the hearts of Germans,” said the monarch.

Charles also spoke about the trade between the two countries in the days of the Hanseatic League to cultural and other aspects.

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He mentioned among other things, the Beatles and the German band Kraftwerk, the comedians of Monty Python and England’s victory over Germany in the final of the 2022 European Women’s Football Championship.

The president of Germany’s parliament, or Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, later also praised the strength of Anglo-German ties during her speech. This also applies after Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, added Bas.

Bas expressed her gratitude for Britain’s “indispensable and great contribution” to Europe’s liberation from National Socialism and friendship with Germany after World War II.

The king received a standing ovation for his speech, even by party members of Die Linke (The Left) who had criticized the monarch’s parliamentary visit.

The British monarch and his wife, the Queen Consort Camilla had a packed schedule on their three-day state visit.  Before coming to parliament, they signed Berlin’s Golden Book – the city’s official VIP guestbook – and paid a visit to a weekly market in the capital.

The afternoon’s agenda included a visit to an arrival centre for Ukrainian refugees at the city’s former Tegel airport together with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

After meeting with soldiers from a German-British engineer battalion in Finowfurt, northeast of Berlin, the king and his wife were expected at an eco-village to make cheese and discuss organic farming. Camilla and Steinmeier’s wife Elke Büdenbender were also to visit a social project and a comedy opera in the city.

It is Charles’ first trip abroad since becoming king after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September. The royal couple arrived in Berlin on Wednesday afternoon and was later officially welcomed with military honours at the Brandenburg Gate.

On the third and final day of their visit, they will travel to Hamburg on Friday before returning to Britain.