• Europe Charles III, an ecological king in Germany who conquered his mother
  • Diplomacy The Europeanist wink of Carlos III in his first state visit as king

The two most devastating wars in human history made Britain and Germany two long-irreconcilable enemies. And today, when the relationship between the two nations is fully normalized but had deteriorated somewhat due to Brexit, another war, in this case that of Ukraine, has forced London and Berlin to strengthen their ties as much as possible. All this background marks the three-day state trip that King Carlos III concludes this Friday in the country of his dynasty, Germany.

A visit full of symbolism and pregnant with curious scenes as is obligatory in a time when the representatives of the monarchies are asked to get as close as possible to the citizen and embrace a certain populism – in that line we saw this week Felipe VI touching the drawer in Cadiz. But above all a visit in which Carlos III has dedicated his most transcendental political messages to the war of aggression that is perpetrating the Russian regime of Putin and that represents the greatest threat to the peace and security of the Old Continent since the end of the Second World War.

"Germany's decision to provide such great military support to Ukraine was an extremely courageous, important and welcome decision," Charles III said in his speech to the Bundestag on Thursday, becoming the first British king to deliver a speech to the German federal parliament. An honour of the many that are characterizing the extraordinary entertainment of the authorities of the Federal Republic to the monarch, which has included unusual gestures such as that two Typhoon fighter planes escorted the plane of the monarchs as soon as it entered German airspace or that the sovereign was the first head of state to be officially welcomed, with highest military honors, in a place as emblematic as the Brandenburg Gate.

Voices such as that of the deputy of The Left Ates Gürpinar remained in a minority criticizing the "absurdity" of letting a king speak in the Bundestag because, in his opinion, "monarchies are basically dictatorships with historical tinsel", according to the newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine.

A placid visit

Darts that, in any case, have neither penetrated nor tarnished a placid visit for Charles III on the eve of his coronation. Praising the German authorities for the role they are taking in support of Kiev was also the main argument of his speech at the gala dinner held on Wednesday evening at Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the President of the Republic. The monarch stressed the "extraordinary hospitality" of the country, which has welcomed more than one million Ukrainian refugees. And he stressed that the United Kingdom and Germany "are united" with Ukraine "in defense of freedom and sovereignty."

Angela Merkel greets Charles and Camilla at the state dinner.MATTHIAS SCHRADERAFP

But it wasn't all lofty phrases. Charles III has felt good about occupying the throne. Despite the family controversies that do not cease, he is increasingly relaxed in his new role. And in the toast during the aforementioned banquet until enjoyment. It provoked the laughter of the attendees, among whom was the entire German ruling class – led by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and attended by former leaders such as Angela Merkel – with jokes such as the allusion to the mythical English sketch Dinner for one, a television broadcast that has become a cult tradition every New Year's Eve in Germany, where it has already been issued more than 230 times. "It is very kind of you not to have left me alone with a dinner for one," joked the sovereign to the crowd, who laughed heartily at the joke. Charles III has also put himself in the pocket of the Germans by delivering part of his speeches both at Bellevue Palace and in the Bundestag in their language, an effort not small given that it was only known that the current king had basic notions of German – although his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, He spoke it perfectly.

This Thursday afternoon, the king, accompanied by President Steinmeier, visited one of the centers in Berlin for Ukrainian citizens who have had to flee the barbarity of war.

Carlos III, in front of a table football during the visit to a center for Ukrainian refugees. PHIL NOBLEPOOL

And the state trip will conclude on Friday with the displacement of Carlos and Camila to one of the most Anglophile cities in Germany, Hamburg. Here the circle will be closed again. Because the most significant act will be the visit to the memorial church of San Nicolás that, like the rest of the town, was destroyed by the bombing by the allied forces in July 1943, during World War II. In this case, Charles III will only follow in the footsteps of his mother, who with each of her visits to Germany contributed to the reconciliation of the two countries, both now united by a common enemy.

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