THE King Charles will travel to France and the Germany on his first official visits since succeeding his mother Queen Elizabeth as its monarch Britain last September, Buckingham Palace announced today.

Charles will address the parliaments of the two European neighbors in a first for a British monarch during the five-day visit, which begins on March 26. His royal wife Camilla will accompany him on his journey.

“The visit will celebrate the UK’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said. “It’s also an opportunity to look ahead and show the many ways our countries work together.”

While his mother embarked on an extensive tour after she was crowned queen in 1952, taking in Australia, New Zealand and the kingdoms where she was head of state, Charles will make the short trip across the Channel at the behest of a government seeking better relations with EU in the Brexit era.

Both the French and German presidents had extended invitations to Charles since he ascended the throne, a palace source said.

During his stay in France, Charles will attend a state dinner hosted in his honor by President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles and a memorial service at the Arc de Triomphe.

Macron paid heartfelt tribute to Elizabeth after her death in a message to Britain, saying she would be “forever with us”. “To you she was your queen. For us she was the queen” he had said.

Charles will address senators and members of the National Assembly in the French Senate who will travel to Bordeaux to see the impact of last summer’s fires and tour an organic vineyard, as part of King Charles’ long-running campaign to protect the environment.

Strained British-French relations

Relations between London and Paris have been strained since Brexit in 2016 and long-running disputes over fishing rights and over migrants traveling in small boats from France to Britain across the Channel.

Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss had even stated that it had not been decided whether Macron was a friend of Britain before later declaring that he was.

But current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sought a resumption of relations since replacing Truss as prime minister last October, striking a deal to step up efforts to tackle illegal immigration and also striking a deal with the EU to settle a bitter dispute over post-Brexit trade to and from Northern Ireland.

He will meet Macron at a bilateral summit in March.

In Germany, the British monarch and his wife will be received at the Brandenburg Gate, the first time a visiting head of state has received a formal welcome there.

Charles will also address the German parliament and meet refugees who recently arrived from Ukraine. The trip will include a visit to Hamburg where Charles and Camilla will visit the St. Nicholas Memorial, the ruins of a church destroyed when the Allies bombed the city during World War II.

While the visit marks Charles’ 35th trip to France and 29th to Germany, the new king will have some way to go to reach the estimated 1,661,668km his mother traveled during her 70-year reign, a number record.