King Charles today became the first monarch to address the plenary session of the Bundestag, as he delivered a speech – and in German – to Germany’s Federal Parliament.

His historic speech was an extensive reference to the close ties between Britain and Germany and the prospect of deepening them.

“Europe’s security is under threat, as are democratic values,” King Charles III warned from the floor of the Bundestag and praised Germany’s stance and extensive support for Ukraine.

“Germany and Britain have taken on an important role. As the largest European donors, they reacted decisively and took decisions which might previously have been considered unthinkable. The military aggression against Ukraine brought unimaginable suffering to many innocent people. Countless lives destroyed, freedom and people brutalized. Europe’s security is under threat, as are our democratic values, but the world has not stood idly by to watch the war. We can take courage from our unity,” the British monarch said from the floor of the Bundestag and warmly praised Germany’s stance.

The British monarch has been on an official three-day trip to Germany since yesterday, together with Camilla.

Tomorrow he will go to Hamburg where, in a highly symbolic move, he will visit the church of Agios Nikolaos – a monument dedicated to the victims of the Second World War and in particular to the 42,600 dead from the British-American bombings of 1943, in the context of the “Gomorrah” operation.

The speech of Charles and the reference to Elizabeth

Charles

Referring to relations between the two countries, Charles III spoke of his mother, who “has won a place in the hearts of the Germans” and noted that he and his family were particularly moved by the thousands of entries in the condolence book he had opened at the British Embassy after the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The King made a special mention of lighting up the Brandenburg Gate in the colors of the UK flag when the Queen died. “It means a lot to me to be in Germany on my first official visit abroad – mainly because I can speak here and renew our commitment to our countries’ friendship. I am proud of this friendship. I am glad that we are standing side by side and taking a leading role in order to secure our future”, he pointed out, with an eye mainly on cooperation for climate protection.

Charles also referred to the Hanseatic League, William Shakespeare, the Beatles, Georg Friedrich Handel, the painter William Turner, but also the German group Kraftwerk, the Monty Python comedians and England’s victory over Germany in the European Championship final Women’s Football in 2022. “Britons and Germans laugh a lot together, often at each other’s expense,” the king said with a laugh.

The speech of the British monarch in the Bundestag, however, also caused reactions from the Left, which had disagreed with the relevant invitation from the beginning. “Only democratically elected politicians and heads of state should speak in the Bundestag – and Charles is not elected,” party official Jan Korte told ARD, calling the content of the speech “out of place and time”. “It does not befit the highest democratic framework to bow to a monarch. And I find it strange that in times of inflation and rapidly increasing poverty, the Bundestag doesn’t need someone who was literally born with a golden spoon in his mouth,” said Left leader Martin Sirdevan.