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King Charlesearned applause for a royal first as his trip to Germany continued on Thursday.
The King, 74, became the first British monarch to directly address the Bundestag while the German Parliament was in session. Giving the speech in both German and English, the King pointed to the bond between Germany and the U.K. and voiced hope for a bright, shared future.
Noting that the relationship “meant so much to my beloved mother"Queen Elizabeth, King Charles praised Germany’s staunch support for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia and reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to the cause as well.
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“Ladies and Gentlemen, I can hardly begin to express the pride I feel in the strength of the partnership between our two countries. Germany, her people and distinctive culture have made such a profound impact on me over so many of my previous visits. Since I first came to Germany when I was just 13 years old, I have grown to become familiar with the different corners of this remarkable land,” he continued in English. “Like many British people, I have close personal ties here — in my case, cherished family relationships and associations that go back generations. For all of us, however, there are countless points of connection and common experience in the British-German story, which has unfolded over nearly two millennia.”
Pointing out that tourism between the two nations is vibrant, Charles injected a bit of humor with a joke about pop culture.
Drawing further parallels between the countries, from gender equity advocacy from the women’s national soccer teams to exciting scientific innovations in hydrogen, the King said that Germany and the U.K. “can offer a compelling example to the world.”
“Faced with so many shared challenges, the United Kingdom and Germany are together providing leadership to secure our shared future,” he said.
Queen Camillaaccompanied her husband to the Bundestag for the speech, as their three-day royal tour of Germany, thefirst overseas visitof the new reign, continues. The royals were guests of honor at aglamorous state banquetat Schloss Bellevue last night, and kicked off Thursday with a busy start.
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Charles first met with Chancellor Scholz at the Federal Chancellery building; from there, he and the Queen Consort, 75, stopped at Wittenbergplaztz Food Market to meet local business owners. The King also learned more about the Johanniter first aid organization’s work with refugees and met with Ukrainian refugee families.
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source: people.com
