King Charles welcomes German president to UK for state visit
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WINDSOR, England, Dec 3 - Britain's King Charles welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday at the start of his three-day state visit to Britain, the latest show of closer relations between the European allies following Brexit.
The trip is the first state visit by a German President for 27 years and comes two years after Charles went to Germany for what was his first official overseas trip after he became king in September 2023.
The British monarch and his wife Queen Camilla greeted the president and his wife Elke Büdenbender in Windsor before they took part in a carriage procession to Windsor Castle along with the king's son Prince William and his wife Kate.
The trip will be similar to Donald Trump's state visit to Britain in September, although it will be much more public due to the huge security operation that was put in place for the U.S. president.
Later on Wednesday, Steinmeier will visit British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in his Downing Street office ahead of a state banquet at Windsor Castle.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Britain in July to sign a new treaty with Britain which is seeking to reset relations with the European Union after acrimony caused by Brexit. Steinmeier's trip also follows a three-day state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in July.
On Thursday, the German president and his wife will lay flowers at the tomb of Charles' mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, and will be shown the State Sleigh, which was designed by Queen Victoria's German husband, Prince Albert.
During his visit, Steinmeier will also address British lawmakers in parliament, and meet German soccer players plying their trade for Premier League clubs in Britain.
On Friday, the couple will travel to Coventry in central England which was heavily bombed during World War Two, where the president will lay wreath in the ruins of city's old cathedral alongside the Duke of Kent, who himself attended events in February to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the bombing of Dresden in Germany by the allies. REUTERS
