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Berlin (dpa) - In a spectacular action, 30 years ago - on April 25, 1991 - Hape Kerkeling managed to pull up to Bellevue Palace in women's clothes despite safety precautions on the state visit of the Dutch Queen Beatrix.
The then 25-year-old demanded a “delicious lunch” with a Dutch accent at the seat of the Federal President. Or was it a "lekker" lunch? In Dutch, things and conditions that are not at all edible are referred to as "lekker", which then means good, beautiful, pleasant. On May 2, 1991, the famous appearance on the ARD show “Totally normal” could be seen - and achieved cult status.
The German press agency (dpa), which supplies media, companies and organizations with editorial offers, wrote on the day of the campaign: “The German entertainer and TV presenter Hape Kerkeling caused an incident on Thursday afternoon shortly before the Dutch royal couple arrived at the Berlin palace Bellevue.
Dressed as a queen in a black velvet costume with a bright blue hat, Kerkeling drove in a state car to the entrance of the castle and stole the show from the royal guest. "
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Kerkeling himself described his thoughts and feelings from back then three years ago in the "Gala": "I'm sitting in the fat limousine in Berlin - and I get queasy."
He asked himself: “What crime am I actually committing right now?
Trespassing?
Lese majesty?
High treason? "
In the footage of the action, Kerkeling, who was born in Recklinghausen in the Ruhr area and now married to his husband, lives mainly in Bonn, but relaxed.
Sentences like: "You have to be careful, otherwise you will get a wink arm."
And eating a banana he says: “Who knows what there is to eat.
I always eat beforehand.
We always have a little bite to eat beforehand. "
When he drives up to the castle, he explains: "Put your hand in front of your face, otherwise they'll see that I'm just Trixe - and not Beatrix."
Kerkeling also commented on the reaction of the then German head of state in the “Gala” in 2018: “Incidentally, Federal President von Weizsäcker found the number quite entertaining, as he told me much later at a party chat in the Bellevue park."
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Shortly after Kerkeling's appearance and departure, the real Dutch guests, along with Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker and his wife Marianne, arrived for their visit, the first in the united Berlin, in bright sunshine.
In an apricot summer coat with a black hat adorned with flowers, Queen Beatrix posed with husband Prince Claus shortly in front of the photographer before she and the Weizsäcker couple quietly disappeared for a private lunch.
"The show from the Kerkeling was great, but I'm also happy about the visit of the real queen," said a Hamburg passer-by who happened to experience the incident.
The number of onlookers at Bellevue Palace was quite small.
After a few years of almost complete absence from the screen, the now 56-year-old Kerkeling recently announced a comeback for 2022.
A series with him in the lead role as well as two other entertainment formats for the streaming service TVnow and the broadcasters RTL and Vox are planned.
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Seven years ago, the entertainer and author ("I'll be gone") said in a dpa interview: "I make myself scarce because I want to make myself scarce."
At the end of 2018 and in the first few months of 2019, millions went to the cinema to see his autobiography, "The boy needs to get some fresh air", which was filmed by Caroline Link.
Now, according to the RTL media group, Kerkeling is looking forward to his return to TV: "We have some really nice ideas on the pan."
As has now become known, he can be seen in the role of the devil in the repeatedly postponed film “The Boandlkramer and Eternal Love” - alongside Michael “Bully” Herbig on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210423-99-319543 / 2
Hape Kerkeling