King Charles III described Russia’s war in Ukraine as a threat to Europe’s democratic values in his historic speech to the German parliament, noting that allies such as Germany and Britain can draw courage from their unity. Speaking mainly in German during the 30‑minute address, he warned that “the scourge of war is back in Europe; the war of aggression against Ukraine has brought unimaginable suffering to countless innocent people.” He added that “the security of Europe as well as our democratic values are under threat, but the world did not stand idly by… we can draw courage from our unity.”
The speech marked Charles’s first state visit since ascending the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and his decision to travel to Germany is seen as an effort to build bridges after Brexit. Reconciliation and a shared future based on common values have featured prominently in his German remarks. Although Charles has familial ties to Germany, the two nations fought on opposite sides in both world wars. Speaking at the Bundestag on Thursday, he highlighted how far Britain and his hosts have come in moving beyond their conflict‑ridden past and underscored the common values they now share. “Together we must be vigilant against threats to our values and face them down resolutely,” he said.
On Friday, Charles will further the rapprochement by commemorating the victims of Allied bombings during World War II in Hamburg. His mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, had long been a symbol of post‑war reconciliation; it was World War I that prompted the British royal family to change its German name, Saxe‑Coburg and Gotha, to Windsor. The war in Ukraine will also feature prominently in his Thursday programme, which includes a visit to a reception centre for Ukrainian refugees immediately after his Bundestag speech. He will travel to the neighbouring state of Brandenburg to meet a German‑British battalion and tour an organic farm, reflecting his long‑standing commitment to environmental issues.
Among his first engagements on Wednesday was a sustainability reception where he met Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, both from the Greens party. On Friday, in the port city of Hamburg, he will tour a renewable‑energy project. Charles, who has visited Germany 40 times, consistently incorporates sustainable farming into his trips. His decades‑long dedication to green agriculture was nurtured by German professor Hardy Vogtmann, a leading voice on organic farming who became his advisor in the 1980s. During a 1997 visit, Vogtmann arranged tours of eco‑projects in Hesse, culminating in Charles being jokingly gifted a bag of compost. In 2013, the *Welt* newspaper reported that Charles was “clearly in his element,” chatting with organic farmers and stroking a piglet in Langenburg, north of Stuttgart. In 2019, Camilla joined him on an organic‑farm tour in Glonn, near Munich, where Charles bravely held a rooster in his arms.
The monarch was originally scheduled to travel to France before heading to Germany, but that leg of the trip was postponed amid violent protests over pension reforms.
Comments are closed for this story.