Details of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s State Visits to France and Germany

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Buckingham Palace has announced the details of King Charles III and Queen Camilla‘s State Visits to France and Germany from March 26th to the 31st, which will be the first State Visits of their Reign. Germany and France were also the last outgoing State Visits of the late Queen in 2015 and 2014 respectively. 

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 U.K. is working in partnership with France and Germany, whether that be to tackle climate change; respond to the conflict in Ukraine; seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture. The visits take place at the request of the British Government and following invitations from the French and German Presidents.

As well as speaking to the strength of the U.K.’s bilateral relationships with France and Germany, Their Majesties’ visits will include engagements highlighting the importance of sustainability and community – key themes which have been embraced by citizens of all our countries. There will also be opportunities to reflect on the sacrifices and challenges of our shared past, out of which has come an enduring legacy of cooperation and reconciliation.

State Visit to France 

UPDATE: The French State Visit has been postponed.

March 26 – March 29

King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to France on March 26th until March 29th, undertaking engagements in Paris during that time and on the 28th, visiting Bordeaux. Highlights of their French programme will include:

  • The King and The Queen will join President and Mrs. Macron for a ceremony of Remembrance and wreath laying at the Arc de Triomphe;
  • His Majesty will address Senators and members of the National Assembly at the French Senate;
  • Her Majesty, together with Mrs. Macron, will officially open the new Manet and Degas exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay;
  • Their Majesties will be guests of honour at a State Banquet hosted by President and Mrs. Macron at the Chateau de Versailles;
  • His Majesty will witness first-hand the devastation caused by last summer’s wildfires on the outskirts of Bordeaux, hearing from emergency workers and the local community about their experiences;
  • Their Majesties will mark the opening of the British Consulate in Bordeaux and meet members of the local French and British communities;
  • The Royal couple will tour an organic vineyard, which has pioneered a sustainable approach to wine making.

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The British Royal Family have a long history of State Visits to France, beginning with Queen Victoria’s State Visit to France in 1855, as well as the landmark Royal Visit of 1939, the Queen’s State Visits to France in 1957, in 1972, in 1992, 2004, and 2014. King Charles made an Official Visits as Prince of Wales in 1988 and in 2008, with the then Duchess of Cornwall going on a solo visit in 2013, while the most recent Royal Visit was in 2017, by the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. 

State Visit to Germany

March 29 – March 31

King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Berlin on March 29th, undertaking engagements in Berlin and Brandenburg, before heading to Hamburg on March 31st. Highlights of their French programme will include:

  • A ceremonial welcome by President Steinmeier and Frau Büdenbender at the Brandenburg Gate;
  • Their Majesties will be guests of honour at a State Banquet, hosted by the President and his wife at Schloss Bellevue;
  • His Majesty will address the Bundestag, the German Federal Parliament;
  • His Majesty will meet refugees recently arrived from Ukraine and hear about the support Germany provides for them;
  • Her Majesty, accompanied by Frau Büdenbender, will visit the Komische Oper in Berlin, to learn more about the opera company’s outreach projects and community engagement;
  • In Brandenburg, His Majesty will meet representatives from a joint German/U.K. military unit and see a demonstration of their bridge-building amphibious vehicles;
  • In Hamburg, Their Majesties will visit the St. Nikolai Memorial, the remains of a church which was destroyed when the Allies bombed the city during the Second World War. His Majesty and the President will lay wreaths during a short ceremony of remembrance.
  • His Majesty will learn more about the port of Hamburg’s adoption of green technologies, meeting representatives from some of the firms involved.
  • The King and The Queen will attend a celebratory reception with Hamburg residents and members of the local British community, accompanied by the President and Frau Büdenbender, marking the end of their State Visit.
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The British Royal Family have a long history with German Royal Families, but the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s State Visit to Germany in 1965 was the first to the Republic of Germany, followed by visits in 1978, 1987, 1992, 2004, and 2015, which was the last outgoing State Visit of her Reign. The then Prince and Princess of Wales visited Germany in 1987, while the Prince and Duchess of Cornwall went on official visits in 2009 and 2019, and more recently in 2020. The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Germany in 2017.

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