King Charles makes world debut as tour starts in Germany after France cancelled visit amid pension protests
- Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, arrived in Germany where royal fans had started queuing since early morning, hoping to get a close view
- This is the first big test of whether Charles can be an effective ambassador for his country, helping Britain pursue its geopolitical goals
King Charles III arrived in Berlin on Wednesday for his first foreign trip as Britain’s monarch, hoping to improve the UK’s relations with the European Union and to show that he can win hearts and minds abroad, just as his mother did for seven decades.
Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, landed at Berlin’s government airport in the early afternoon and paused at the top of their plane’s stairs to receive a 21-gun salute as two military jets performed a flyover.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was scheduled to welcome the royal couple with military honours at the German capital’s historic Brandenburg Gate.
Charles, 74, who ascended the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth in September, is set to be crowned on May 6.
He had initially planned to first visit France, but the first leg of his trip was cancelled due to massive protests over planned pension changes there.
Billed as a multi-day tour of the European Union’s two biggest countries, the trip was designed to underscore British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to rebuild relations with the bloc after six years of arguments over Brexit and highlight the countries’ shared history as they work together to combat Russian aggression in Ukraine.
