Charles III to visit France, Germany in first trip as king
March 3, 2023
Britain's King Charles III's first foreign trip since his mother's death will take him first to France and then to Germany at the end of March.
A spokesperson at Buckingham Palace in the UK said 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 UK is working in partnership with France and Germany."
The offices of French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced the trips on Friday around lunch time.
"The fact that King Charles chose Germany and France as his first destinations before his coronation is also an important European gesture," German President Steinmeier's office said in a statement, saying that Charles would visit Germany from March 29-31.
Charles became king last September when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died. His formal coronation is still pending, planned for May 6.
France first, then Germany
Around the same time as the German presidency's announcement, Reuters news agency published information from the French presidency saying that Charles would visit France from March 26-29.
The trip would include a state dinner at the Palace of Versailles with Queen Consort Camilla.
The visit "is an honor for France and illustrates the depth of the historical links uniting our two countries," Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement.
It also hailed previous collaboration between Macron and Charles "on issues of protecting biodiversity and the fight against climate change."
Charles' visit will also follow soon after a trip to Paris by the head of Britain's government, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on March 10, for the first Franco-British summit in several years following Britain's tense exit from the European Union.
Elizabeth II stopped traveling owing to poor health in later life. As a result, the last state visit by a British monarch was back in 2015, when Elizabeth came to Germany, a year before Britain would narrowly vote to leave the EU.
msh/nm (AFP, dpa, Reuters)