King Charles and Queen Camilla will soon welcome German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender to the United Kingdom for the final State Visit of the year, and here’s everything you need to know.
When President Steinmeier and Ms. Büdenbender arrive at Heathrow Airport, the Prince and Princess of Wales will be waiting to greet them. The royals and the presidential couple will then travel to Windsor, where King Charles and Queen Camilla will be waiting on Datchet Road at the Royal Dais for an official welcome.
As The King and Queen greet their guests, a royal salute will be fired from the Windsor Home Park and at the Tower of London, and all parties will ride in a carriage procession up to Windsor Castle.
The King and President Steinmeier will inspect the Guard of Honour and receive the royal salute before joining The Queen and Ms. Büdenbender and William and Catherine to watch the military march past.
Following the welcome ceremony, King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the German president and his wife, and members of the Royal Family, for a lunch in the State Dining Room. They will also view an exhibit featuring items of German interest from the Royal Collection in the Green Dining Room.
In the afternoon, President Steinmeier will visit Prime Minister Keir Starmer at No. 10 Downing Street and meet with German and UK business leaders; Ms. Büdenbender will separately visit the Judith Kerr Primary School, a school with a German connection through its namesake, a German children’s book illustrator.
The final engagement tonight will be a State Banquet hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle, where the King and President Steinmeier will give speeches.
Thursday begins with a poignant private visit to St George’s Chapel, where President Steinmeier and Ms. Büdenbender will lay flowers on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.
After the German presidential couple returns to Windsor Castle, they will accompany King Charles and Queen Camilla to a reception for The Big Help Out, which will highlight the vital work of volunteering in the community.
Royal history is next on the agenda, with the King and Queen displaying the State Sleigh, a gift for Queen Victoria designed and given by her husband, Prince Albert. The State Sleigh dates back to 1845.
President Steinmeier and Ms. Büdenbender will then travel into London, with a visit to Westminster Abbey planned to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, before heading to the Palace of Westminster, where President Steinmeier will address Parliamentarians in the Royal Gallery and meet UK government officials.
An afternoon of German-UK connection follows, with a reception for the German community in the United Kingdom at the Embassy, and a meeting with German footballers at the Bobby Moore Academy in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Ms. Büdenbender will travel separately to the Royal Courts of Justice to meet with the Lady Chief Justice to discuss women in law.
The presidential couple will then visit the V&A East Storehouse to view items from their collections and learn more about the history of the V&A.
In the evening, Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence will join President Steinmeier and Ms. Büdenbender at a banquet hosted by the Lady Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation. Both President Steinmeier and the Lady Mayor will deliver speeches.
The Duke of Kent will play an important role on the final day of the German State Visit, when he accompanies President Steinmeier and Ms. Büdenbender to Coventry Cathedral. The presidential couple will hear about the community’s experiences during the Second World War and, along with the Duke of Kent, will lay a wreath at the ruins of the old cathedral. Afterwards, they will receive a tour of the new cathedral.
The presidential couple will then travel to Oxford to visit Siemens Healthineers and the University of Oxford, where President Steinmeier will receive an honorary degree.
This is the third State Visit King Charles has welcomed into the United Kingdom this year. In the summer, the US President officially visited; and French President Emmanuel Macron visited in September.
King Charles’s first State Visit abroad after ascending to the throne took place in Germany between 29–31 March 2023, and he became the first British monarch to address the Bundestag.
