Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has praised the visit of British King Charles III as confirmation of the close historical ties between Germany and Great Britain. The fact that Charles' first trip abroad as king was to Germany was "a great personal gesture" and "at the same time an important sign for german-British relations," Steinmeier said at a reception at Schloss Bellevue on Wednesday.
The reception was about sustainability. In this context, Steinmeier recalled Charles' decades-long commitment to environmental protection. His participation in the event was therefore also "a message to the citizens" that Britain and Germany together see "the dramatic urgency in the fight against climate change," said the President. The next few years demanded "an enormous effort". Germany must "do much more."
Previously, Charles von Steinmeier had been officially welcomed with military honours at the Brandenburg Gate. The state visit of the king and his wife Camilla lasts three days and takes the couple to Brandenburg and Hamburg until Friday. On Wednesday evening, a state banquet in honour of the monarch will take place at Steinmeier's official residence Schloss Bellevue.