First insight of the day: Germans can also snake. Hundreds of people have been waiting on the Unter den Linden boulevard since six in the morning, one behind the other, disciplined as if this were a London bus stop. They all came this Wednesday afternoon to see Charles III. to see, who is to arrive right in front of the Brandenburg Gate, at the start of his three-day state visit to Germany. And his first trip abroad as a king.
Second finding of the day: Even the Berliners, who are otherwise difficult to impress, can have something like a royal mood. One sees crowns, flowers, flags. Someone drew a banner that said Coronation. A teenager who came with her father says that she is from Scotland but lives in Berlin. She was there in 2015 when the Queen paid a visit to the city, “now we want to see our king”.
Some people have been in line since 6 a.m. to see the royal couple.
(Photo: Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)
About 30 kilometers away, the royal couple lands at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport at around 2 p.m., with British over-punctuality. tailwind? In any case, it is windy, as can be seen in the television broadcast. The two flags that the pilot of the royal machine holds out of his cockpit window after landing – the German and the royal standard – flutter wildly.
A few minutes later, the plane door opens, Charles steps out while Camilla stands a little despondently at the entrance. A gust tugs at the feather of her beret, the color of which one would love to describe as royal blue, but that would be a little off the mark. Of all the existing shades of blue, the slightly turquoise “English Blue” probably describes it best. And her calf-length coat dress in “cerulean blue” stands out almost like spring against the gray March sky.
The smoke from the 21 gun salutes that thundered across the apron in greeting quickly dissipated, and as the royal couple then descended the steps of the gangway, Camilla tried to keep a strand of hair from being disheveled with her hand. Charles’ blue and white patterned tie, on the other hand, fits perfectly, tucked in nicely under the coat.
First the James Bond theme, then “God save the King”
From the airport we head towards Berlin-Mitte in an armored Bentley. Meanwhile, at the Brandenburg Gate, the Bundeswehr Staff Music Corps is playing the James Bond theme tune to bridge the waiting time. Almost British humor.
When the couple finally arrives, cheers break out, almost effusive by Berlin standards. Charles and Camilla are received with military honors, historical for this place. While the King and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier walks through the formation of honour, the Queen Consort and the German First Lady stand in colorful harmony on the red carpet: Elke Büdenbender chose a bright red for her wardrobe to celebrate the day. After the military pomp, it’s the people’s turn. Charles and Camilla step up to the barriers, shake hands and exchange a few words. Then it’s on again, on to Bellevue Palace.
There it becomes official again. It is exactly six years to the day since Great Britain initiated its exit from the EU. A few British prime ministers and various turbulences in British-European relations later, Steinmeier now wants, as he says in his speech, to open “a new chapter in our relations”. And the crucial issue for this is the future of the planet. To this end, Steinmeier has invited scientists, politicians and managers to a kind of mini climate summit.
Although the planting of trees is part of the standard program during royal visits, this time it has a special symbolic meaning in view of Steinmeier’s climate change speech.
(Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa)
Steinmeier has found an ideal dialogue partner in the König. Because the “preservation of a livable planet,” according to the Federal President, “moved Charles to action early on.” In fact, Charles gave his first environmental protection speech at age 21. At the time, as journalist Catherine Mayer notes in her biography of Charles, his words sounded “extraordinarily remote”. According to Charles at the time, one had to discipline oneself and impose restrictions on oneself “for one’s own good”. Today, “the dramatic urgency in the fight against climate change,” as Steinmeier calls it, is largely a consensus. “Intense years in which we have to reduce our emissions, modernize the economy and transport, and make our houses and apartments more energy-efficient” lie ahead of Germany.
Steinmeier concludes his speech in English. It probably wouldn’t have been necessary: the king is said to have good knowledge of German.
Unusually sleek: Tote-Hosen singer Campino before the state banquet
(Photo: Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images)
For the evening, the Federal President has invited guests to a state banquet, the guests include not only his predecessors Horst Köhler and Joachim Gauck and former Chancellor Angela Merkel, but also celebrities such as star architect David Chipperfield or Toten Hosen singer Campino, who looks completely different than usual: really nice. The dress code for the 130 guests is strict, the gentlemen in tails, the ladies in long.
The king gives his after-dinner speech partly in German. That wouldn’t be necessary – because Steinmeier is known to have good knowledge of English.