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The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh spent three days in the Republic of Germany as guests of President Horst Köhler and Frau Köhler, undertaking a variety of engagements in Berlin, Potsdam and Düsseldorf.
Her Majesty was welcomed to Berlin with full military honours at the Schloss Charlottenburg, a 17th century church originally constructed by King Frederick I of Prussia.
The Queen then watched a presentation by British and German students working together to study the effects of climate change at the British Council Climate Workshop. The event was the first of two environmental engagements undertaken by Her Majesty while in Germany; she later opened a major conference on climate change at the British Embassy in Berlin.
The traditional State Banquet was held at the Zeughaus, and was attended by The Queen and President Köhler, alongside Frau Köhler and The Duke of Edinburgh, and an additional 250 guests. Guests included four former German Presidents, members of the German government, and senior British officials in Berlin.
At the beginning of the second day of the State Visit, The Queen boarded the Panorama S-Bahn, a specially adapted train, allowing the Royal party to view the historic centre of Berlin. The train moved westbound through Berlin, passing the new Government and Parliament quarters, Tiergarten Park and the former British sector before reaching Potsdam.
Once in Potsdam, The Queen visited the Schloss Cecilienhof where she made a speech paying tribute to the post-war friendship and spirit of European co-operation between Britain and Germany:
"We owe it to those who built that partnership to continue the process into the 21st century: to learn from history not be obsessed by it; to look beyond simplistic stereotypes to realise how often we share the same outlook; above all to recognise the way in which that vital partnership of the post-war years has evolved - and continues to evolve - into a mature and enduring friendship for the 21st century."
Meanwhile, The Duke of Edinburgh visited the "Royal Louise" replica sailing frigate. A miniature copy of an 18th century English frigate, the boat has been rebuilt in Germany as a "back-to-work" project for the unemployed. The original "Royal Louise", a gift presented to Prussia by King William IV in 1831, represented the close ties between Britain and Prussia. The Duke of Edinburgh then met local schoolchildren who have taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards scheme.
The Queen's trip offered the chance to honour the British and Commonwealth war dead at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Stahnsdorf. Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh laid a wreath and were present at a ceremony to remember the courage of local people who came voluntarily to observe the annual Remembrance Day ceremony before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Queen also met the Ambassadors of five Commonwealth nations (Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and New Zealand) whose war dead are also buried in the cemetery. Earlier, she laid a wreath at the Neue Wache, the memorial to the victims of war and tyranny on Berlin's magnificent Unter den Linden boulevard.
In the evening, Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh attended a gala concert alongside President Köhler and Frau Köhler at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. The concert, a gesture of return hospitality for the State Dinner, had the theme of reconciliation and included a reception for almost 2000 guests. Money donated will be used to raise funds towards the reconstruction of Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden, which was destroyed in Allied bombing raids in 1945.
On the final day of the visit, The Queen flew on to Düsseldorf, the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. She visited the Landtag (regional parliament) to meet local officials, before attending an official reception and lunch at the Ständehaus Art Museum. The lunch included a fashion show featuring designers with British-German links and the chance for prominent British and German figures in the North Rhine-Westphalia area to meet The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The Royal party then visited Heinrich-Heine University Clinic and the Zeche Zollverein Design Centre before returning to Buckingham Palace that evening. |
