German President to Make UK State Visit This December
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will make a state visit to the UK this December. It will be the first German state visit in 27 years, with the last being President Roman Herzog’s trip in 1998. It will also be the fifth official German state visit to the UK since 1958. From December 3rd to 5th, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host President Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace remains under renovation.
The visit is expected to highlight deepening ties between the two nations. It follows the signing of the Kensington Treaty earlier this year, which includes plans for a direct rail link between London and Berlin, along with increased cooperation on trade, military collaboration, student exchanges, and tackling illegal migration.
Though Steinmeier has visited the UK before, this trip will come with all the grandeur expected of a full state visit: military salutes, carriage processions, and a state banquet — all designed to underscore diplomatic friendship and boost bilateral engagement.
The visit is especially significant as it comes in return for King Charles’s visit to Germany in March 2023 — his first foreign trip as monarch. During that trip, the King addressed the Bundestag, praised Germany’s support for Ukraine, and took part in a symbolic wreath-laying ceremony in Hamburg to honour victims of WWII bombing raids.
While the full programme for the December visit hasn’t yet been released, it adds to a packed autumn for King Charles, who continues to carry out duties while receiving cancer treatment. The palace revealed his diagnosis in early 2024, but the 76-year-old monarch has kept up a full calendar. Just next week, he and Queen Camilla are expected to visit the Vatican to meet Pope Leo — a trip postponed from earlier this year due to the late Pope Francis’s health.
The German state visit will be the third hosted by King Charles this year, following visits from French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump. All three are part of broader efforts to strengthen the UK’s global alliances and boost trade following Brexit.
Further details about the December itinerary will be shared by the palace in the coming weeks.
