King Charles III is going down a storm in Berlin. Hundreds of wellwishers have turned out to greet the King during a reception at the Brandenburg Gate — and the monarch, who is on his first trip abroad since taking the throne, seems relaxed. But amid the selfies and Burger King hats (which many of those who turned out to see the King have opted to wear), there is serious business to be done — and German politicians are optimistic that Charles’s visit can repair some of the damage caused by Brexit.
While Charles’s mother Elizabeth was seen as apolitical, the King’s past commitments to social and ecological causes have raised expectations that he might be able to bridge the gap between the UK and Germany in the post-Brexit era.
German media outlets have drawn a historical comparison between Elizabeth’s first visit to West Germany in 1965 and Charles’s this week. “More than half a century ago, Elizabeth II heralded the beginning of German-British reconciliation,” public broadcaster ARD commented. “When Charles III arrives for his first stay in another state as monarch, then the historical bond between Germany and Britain is once again at the center of the royal visit, but in a different way — as rapprochement after the estrangement that happened during these long years following Brexit.”
The British Embassy in Berlin said that Charles has visited Germany some forty times as prince, emphasizing the interest he takes in the country and its people. He was greeted by president Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate earlier this afternoon, followed by a state dinner in the evening at Bellevue Palace. It is expected that Charles and Steinmeier will discuss sustainability and the transition to renewable energy during their time together.
Apart from any bilateral talks, the visit is also considered an attempt to improve relations with the EU. British ambassador to Berlin Jill Gallard told public radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk that Charles aims to show that, although Britain has left the Union, it has not left Europe. She added that with Britain and Germany currently sharing several objectives — on a coordinated response to the Russian war on Ukraine, for example — the timing of the visit is appropriate.
Yet for all the hope of mending relations, Germans are well aware of the constraints Charles now faces. While the reasons might not be fully understood in a country that has not had a monarch for over 100 years, it is accepted that the King cannot make the same kind of statements or commitments as other heads of state — or as he might have done in his past life as Prince of Wales. “Entanglement in continuously controversial post-Brexit politics does not come without danger for Charles and his position as king, as he, other than his mother who as a young woman ascended the throne as a blank sheet of paper, has spent many years as a political activist,” ARD commented.
Even if the King can no longer speak loudly about the issues that matter to him, Charles remains sympathetic to the causes that have occupied much of his time in recent decades. The itinerary for the trip — which takes in a visit to a home for Ukraine refugees inside Berlin’s closed-down Tegel airport and a meet-and-greet with organic farmers at Wittenbergplatz — is a nod to these sympathies.
The royal couple will meet with chancellor Olaf Scholz and Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey. Charles is also due to give a speech to Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, making him the first British monarch to do so. In Berlin and also Hamburg, where Charles will travel before his return, the King will face little opposition. Indeed, if anything, Charles has been more popular in Germany than at home in recent decades. Many young Germans, who have watched Netflix’s The Crown, harbor warm feelings for the King. Charles might not be able to mend entirely the hurt that many Germans felt after Brexit — but his visit is certainly going down well.
This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.
