The Prince and Princess of Wales have extended a warm welcome to the German president and his wife as they landed at London Heathrow on the nation’s first state visit to the UK in 27 years.
The King and Queen will stage a state banquet in honour of Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, former judge Elke Büdenbender, in the grand St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, with a towering Christmas tree as the backdrop.
The six-metre (19.6ft) Nordmann fir has been illuminated with 3,000 lights and decked out in shimmering green and gold ornaments and stretches up to the vaulted ceiling, with garlands adorning the room’s balconies.
A carpet lining party, formed of The King’s Colour Squadron, Royal Air Force, was in position for the arrival of the president’s Bundesrepublik Deutschland plane which featured a stripe made of the colours of the German flag.
William, in a smart suit, greeted the King’s guests alongside Kate, who was wearing a Burberry dress with a blue coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, with a matching hat, her hair down and straight, and earrings which belonged to William’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and a Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch.
The royal couple shook hands with the president and his wife, with Ms Budenbender bringing her hand to her chest as she smiled and chatted with Kate.
Susanne Baumann, German Ambassador to the UK (left) and the Prince and Princess of Wales greet German President and his wife. Credit: PA
German President arrives at Windsor
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Windsor with the German president and his wife precisely at midday.
The visitors were met by the King and Queen on the red-carpeted Royal Dais, with Charles greeting the president with a warm handshake.
Mr Steinmeier told the King “it’s so wonderful to see you again” before giving a hearty chuckle.
Kate smiled and curtsied at Camilla, but thinking the Queen had not seen her did another curtsy just in case when the Queen looked her way.
A 41-gun royal salute was fired from the East Lawn within the Windsor Home Park, timed to coincide with the welcome. The royal party and their guests stood for the playing for German national anthem.
Plans for a festive banquet at Windsor Castle
Some 160 guests will dine on a nearly 50-metre-long (164ft) mahogany table which runs the entire length of the hall.
They will also be served a bespoke cocktail created specially for the occasion – a tradition started by the King.
As Christmas comes to Windsor Castle, the Duchess of Sussex’s With Love, Meghan holiday special is premiering on Netflix on Wednesday, with the former actress sharing festive craft, decorating and baking tips.
The three-day state visit is the first by a German leader to the UK for 27 years, and the streets of Windsor, outside the castle in Berkshire, have been decorated with giant German and Union flags in celebration.
The King and the royal family have German heritage themselves, but Charles’ great-grandfather King George V dropped the German surname Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in 1917 in favour of Windsor amid anti-German feeling during the First World War.
Unlike US President Donald Trump in September, who was kept away from public view, Mr Steinmeier and his wife will enjoy a carriage ride through the streets, past the crowds, to the castle, before a ceremonial welcome in the quadrangle.
The president will visit Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday afternoon and join a roundtable of UK and German business leaders.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome the German president to Downing Street. Credit: PA
The visit coincides with the announcement of a £20 million electric vehicle (EV) tech project, led by German car firm Mercedes, which will create 150 jobs in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire and secure 34 more.
It aims to develop an ultra-compact, high-power electric drive system for high-performance EVs and strengthen the UK’s EV supply chains, and includes £10 million of backing from the Government.
The UK and Germany signed a new partnership, known as the Kensington Treaty, in July, with Sir Keir pledging the two countries would “work ever more closely”.
The agreement included freeing up school exchange visits and passport e-gates, the setting up of a taskforce to explore a direct train link between the UK and Germany, and a commitment to closer co-operation on trade, security and defence.
Germany is in the process of strengthening its efforts to tackle illegal migration by introducing a new law to criminalise gangs who supply and store small boats for use in crossings to the UK.
Windsor Castle has been decorated for Christmas. Credit: PA
Mr Steinmeier will also address Parliament on Thursday – something denied to Mr Trump as the House of Commons was not sitting at the time of his trip.
On Thursday morning, he will privately lay flowers at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II in the castle’s St George’s Chapel, before joining the King and Queen for a Big Help Out reception to showcase the impact volunteering can have on communities.
The German president and his wife will pay a poignant visit on Friday with the Duke of Kent, whose father died in a wartime flying accident in 1942 while on active service, to lay a wreath at the ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral, which was bombed by the Germans during the Second World War.
This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz in November 1940, in which 568 people were killed and 4,300 homes destroyed, along with the Cathedral Church of St Michael.
Unusually, the event marks the third incoming state visit hosted by the monarch this year – with Charles also welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron in July and, three months ago, Mr Trump.
The King is still undergoing treatment for cancer but showing no let-up in his busy schedule.
He travelled to Germany with Camilla in 2023 for the first state visit since his accession, and Charles, who speaks German well, became the first British monarch to address German politicians during a session of the Bundestag.
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