Berlin –
King Charles III became the first monarch to address the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament, on Thursday as part of a high-profile visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two European powers.
Charles, 74, is on his first trip abroad since becoming King of England. He and his Queen Consort, Camilla, arrived in Berlin on Wednesday after a crowd of well-behaved people and Germany’s head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, visited the capital’s iconic Brandenburg Gate. I met a couple in They then attended a banquet at the presidential palace.
Glamor and royal glamor aside, the three-day visit clearly has a political purpose. increase.
Britain’s exit from the European Union’s common market has created trade barriers and labor shortages, excluding the UK from major European scientific programs. By paying particular attention to her two largest EU powers, France and Germany, Prime Minister Lissisnak hopes he will normalize relations with the bloc of 27 countries.
Charles had originally planned to stop in France first, but anti-government protests in France forced the part to be postponed. So the focus was on Germany, where the British royal family, especially the late Queen Elizabeth II, has long enjoyed curiosity and admiration.
However, not everyone was enthralled by this visit. Opposition MP Jan Corte said Charles’ address to Germany’s highest political body, the Bundestag, was inconsistent with Germany’s democratic traditions.
“The king will not be elected,” Corte told public broadcaster ZDF. “He can obviously speak anywhere, and he’s very welcome, including me, but I don’t think it’s very appropriate to let the monarch speak, especially in the federal parliament, which represents the people.
Prince Charles once spoke to Congress at a memorial event held by the German War Graves Commission in 2020, when he was still the Prince of Wales.
Before his speech, Charles briefly met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and visited a farmers market in Berlin.
After the speech, Charles and Camilla will meet with refugees and British and German military personnel stationed near Berlin before visiting an organic farm. They will be in Hamburg on Friday.
