King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla’s First International Tour Will Emphasize Ties to Europe

Just days after the UK government hosted tense meetings to sort out conflict over trade negotiations with the European Union, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have announced a five-day trip to France and Germany, where they will visit various cultural sites across the two nations. The tour will be the new king and queen consort’s first international tour since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

In a statement announcing the tour, Buckingham Palace explained its purpose without mentioning the specifics of the underlying political situation. “The visit will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, cultures, and values,” the statement read. “It will also provide an opportunity to look forwards and demonstrate the many ways the U.K. is working in partnership with France and Germany, whether that be to tackle climate change; respond to the conflict in Ukraine; seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture.” The palace notes that this will be the kings 35th official visit to France and his 29th official visit to Germany.

The tour will last from March 26 to 31 and will take Charles and Camilla to Paris, Bordeaux, Berlin, Brandenburg, and Hamburg. While in Paris, the couple will join French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to lay a wreath of remembrance at the Arc de Triomphe. Later, Camilla and Brigitte will open a landmark exhibition of the art of Degas and Manet at the Musée d’Orsay. A state banquet will be held at Versailles. In Germany, the king and queen consort will attend a state banquet hosted by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender. In Hamburg, the king will visit a joint UK and German military unit to see a demonstration of their amphibious vehicles. Later he will learn about how the city is implementing green technology. 

On Monday, Charles held an audience with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commision, when she visited the nation for talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and the UK’s access to the European common market. The next day, foreign secretary James Cleverly denied allegations that Charles had been pushed into politics during an interview with radio station LBC. “It was our invitation for Ursula von der Leyen to come to the UK to finalize this deal with the prime minister,” he said. “Of course that was a conversation we had with the palace. The final decision on the availability of his majesty is with the palace.”

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