German president gets royal welcome at start of first UK state visit in 27 years

LONDON (AP) – King Charles III opened his arms wide in welcome as he greeted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday at the start of a state visit that will celebrate the close ties between the countries while also remembering the scars of the past.

Charles received Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, in the chilly open air in Windsor, sharing a handshake and a hearty chuckle with the German head of state before the royal party climbed into three horse-drawn carriages for the trip to Windsor Castle.

“It’s so wonderful, your majesty, to see you again,” Steinmeier loudly told the king.

The three-day tour will feature all the pomp and ceremony the U.K. rolls out for its honored guests. But there will also be a somber note as Steinmeier becomes the first German head of state to make a formal state visit to Britain in 27 years.

On Friday, the German couple will visit Coventry Cathedral to commemorate the Nazi bombing of the city, which killed at least 568 people and destroyed or damaged more than half of its homes on the night of Nov. 14, 1940. It was the single most concentrated attack on a British city during World War II.

Germany has apologized more than once for the Nazi regime’s atrocities. And during Charles’ own state visit to Germany in 2023, he acknowledged the devastation caused by the war, laying a wreath at the remains of St. Nikolai Church in Hamburg to commemorate the more than 30,000 people who were killed during the Allied bombing of the city in July 1943.

But the timing of this event makes it unique, a veteran royal watcher said.

“Earlier this year we’ve marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe and then in Japan,” said Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty Magazine. “It’s a particularly poignant time in British and German history, so the fact that this is being factored into the state visit clearly is important to both sides.”

While state visits are hosted by the king, they are scheduled at the request of the elected government to reward friends – and sometimes nudge reluctant partners – with a red carpet treatment only the British royal family can provide.

So there will be the glittering tiaras, displays of military precision and a sumptuous banquet served on 200-year-old silver. The fir tree in St. George’s Hall is 6 meters tall (nearly 20 feet) and decorated with 3,000 lights.

But the spectacle has a purpose. Britain and Germany are seeking to underscore the bonds between the two countries as they face the challenges of the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s America First policies, which threaten to upend longstanding trade and security relationships.

The trip is designed to build on the success of Charles’ state visit to Germany in March 2023, the first such trip he made after ascending the throne. During that tour the king impressed his hosts by speaking in creditable German as he stressed long-standing ties and the importance of future cooperation between the two nations.

Before his arrival, Steinmeier emphasized that Germany and the U.K. were on a path toward rapprochement after the difficulties caused by Britain’s exit from the European Union, adding that it was crucial for the two countries to build closer ties.

Charles’ visit to Germany was a signal, Steinmeier said, according to German news agency DPA.

“This shows how important German-British relations are to both of us, that German-British friendship is a matter close to our hearts,” Steinmeier said.

British officials hope those ties will be cemented by coverage of the glittering events at Windsor Castle.

“It will produce wonderful pictures and these will be seen as symbols for the British public and the German public,” said Gerhard Dannemann, former head of the Centre for British Studies at Humboldt Universität in Berlin. “And the hope is that … the German president can emulate,″ what Charles did in 2023.