King Charles and Queen Camilla have landed in Berlin

The British King Charles III. started his three-day state visit to Germany on Wednesday. The monarch and his wife Camilla landed at the Berlin capital BER in the afternoon.

Exactly as planned, they disembarked their plane at 2:10 PM. They were greeted with a gun salute.

It is the monarch’s first trip abroad in his new role – before his coronation on May 6. The first visit was to be in France, but was postponed due to protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender will accompany Charles and his wife Camilla until Friday during their program in Berlin, Brandenburg and Hamburg.

First stop: Brandenburg Gate

The first stop after the airport should be the Brandenburger Tor. As the first ever state guest, Charles and Camilla would be welcomed there with military honors at the Brandenburger Tor – close to the people in the middle of the capital. Spectators have been waiting there since morning for their chance to see the royals up close. A few hundred were allowed into the cordoned off area at Pariser Platz.

In the afternoon, there will be a reception on the theme of energy transition and sustainability in Bellevue Palace with actors from politics, science, business and civil society. In the evening, Steinmeier throws a state banquet for Charles with about 130 guests. According to reports, the king wants to deliver his after-dinner speech partly in German.

Germany and Britain have long been close partners, but the king’s visit is seen as a new beginning. Exactly six years ago, on March 29, 2017, the British government officially initiated its departure from the EU and on January 31, 2020, Brexit was a fact. Now leave the “tangles of separation” behind and look ahead together, it said ahead of the visit of the German presidential cabinet. (oee/sda/dpa)