POLITICSFRANCE
Charles III to visit France, Germany in first trip as king
5 hours ago5 hours ago
King Charles III’s first trip abroad as king will take him to major European partners France, and then Germany. The German president’s office said he would visit from March 29-31 after several days in France.
https://p.dw.com/p/4ODTP
Britain’s King Charles III’s first foreign trip since his mother’s death will take him first to France and then to Germany at the end of March.
A spokesperson at Buckingham Palace in the UK said the visit “will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values.”
“It will also provide an opportunity to look forwards and demonstrate the many ways the UK is working in partnership with France and Germany.”
The offices of French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the trips on Friday around lunch time.
“The fact that King Charles chose Germany and France as his first destinations before his coronation is also an important European gesture,” German President Steinmeier’s office said in a statement, saying that Charles would visit Germany from March 29-31.
Charles became king last September when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died. His formal coronation is still pending, planned for May 6.
King Charles III holds an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 8, 2023 in London, England.King Charles III holds an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Buckingham Palace during his first visit to the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 8, 2023 in London, England.
Charles III has had audiences with several world leaders since taking office, but only in the UKImage: Aaron Chown/Getty Images
France first, then Germany
Around the same time as the German presidency’s announcement, Reuters news agency published information from the French presidency saying that Charles would visit France from March 26-29.
The trip would include a state dinner at the Palace of Versailles with Queen Consort Camilla.
The visit “is an honor for France and illustrates the depth of the historical links uniting our two countries,” Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.
It also hailed previous collaboration between Macron and Charles “on issues of protecting biodiversity and the fight against climate change.”
Charles’ visit will also follow soon after a trip to Paris by the head of Britain’s government, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on March 10, for the first Franco-British summit in several years following Britain’s tense exit from the European Union.
Elizabeth II stopped traveling owing to poor health in later life. As a result, the last state visit by a British monarch was back in 2015, when Elizabeth came to Germany, a year before Britain would narrowly vote to leave the EU.
msh/nm (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
