The King pledged to “strengthen the connections” between the UK and Germany at a state banquet in Berlin.
The state dinner took place at Schloss Bellevue, the official residence of the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is hosting the event.
In the first state banquet speech of his reign, Charles paid tribute to the “enduring value” of the two countries’ relationship and stressed he was “utterly convinced” the bond between them “will grow ever stronger”.
His Majesty addressed guests in both English and German praising the two countries’ shared values of “promoting global health, net zero and protecting our shared democratic values”.
He paid tribute to Germany’s “extraordinary generosity” in hosting over a million Ukrainian refugees.
The King even got a laugh at the white-tie event when he referenced a British comedy sketch called “Dinner For One” which is hugely popular in Germany.
In it an elderly aristocrat dines alone while her waiter gets progressively more drunk as he consumes alcohol poured for her non-existent guests.
It has become a tradition to watch the 18 minute sketch on New Year’s Eve in Germany.
Image: King Charles with Angela Merkel. Pic: AP
President Steinmeier in his speech noted that Britain began the process of leaving the EU on 29 March 2017.
Advertisement
“For me personally, this was a sad day,” he said. “Today, exactly six years later, we open a new chapter.”
Mr Steinmeier paid tribute to Charles’ mother Elizabeth, stressing how much she had done to foster German-British ties.
“Your family stands for continuity, for stability, particularly in times of change,” he said, noting that Charles, too, had visited Germany more than 40 times as a prince.
Former chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also attended the event, taking place in the Tiergarten district of the German capital.
Image: King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender
Image: The King with German President Steinmeier
Image: The Queen Consort with the president’s wife, Elke Budenbender
The Queen Consort was wearing a tiara and bracelet that belonged to her mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth for the event.
It was rumoured that some of the King’s German cousins were invited to the event, including Prince Donatus of Hesse, who dined with the late Queen when she visited Frankfurt during a 2015 state visit with the Duke of Edinburgh.
Others tipped to attend included Prince Baden Bernhard, who attended Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021, and his father Prince Ludwig of Baden.
Image: Former chancellor Angela Merkel attended the event
Earlier President Steinmeier praised the King’s green “convictions” and thanked him for choosing to visit Germany for his first state visit as monarch.
In a speech he said: “I am grateful that King Charles III began to champion healthy nutrition, sustainability and climate action very early on. We are all benefiting today from Your Majesty’s convictions.”
He added: “This visit, Your Majesty’s very first trip abroad as the new King, is a tremendous personal gesture – and for that I would like to express my heartfelt thanks.
“I am looking forward to the coming days and to the many opportunities we will have to exchange views.”
Image: The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and his wife Susannah also attended
The couple began their trip by arriving at Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport at about 1pm UK time, and visited the Brandenburg Gate, the first time the landmark has been used to welcome any visiting head of state.
The King took time to greet individuals who were waiting at the gate and spoke to a group of girls who had recently visited London, and a schoolchild who he asked: “No school today?”
During the visit, the King will head to the Presidential Palace, where he will learn what Germany is doing to highlight causes such as sustainability, hear about the support Germany are providing to Ukraine, and address the German parliament, speaking in both English and German.
Image: Charles and Camilla, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender at Brandenburg Gate. Pic:AP
Image: President Steinmeier shakes hands with the King
Fly-past of fighter jets as King and Queen Consort say trip is ‘great joy’
As the ministerial plane Voyager approached the airport, it was escorted by two Typhoon jets, a mark of respect to the King.
Image: Voyager plane
They were then greeted by a 21-gun salute and a fly-past of two fighter jets after pausing at the top of the plane’s steps. At the bottom, the royals were greeted by a line of dignitaries including the British ambassador to Germany, Jill Gallard, and the state secretary Dorte Dinger.
A visit full of firsts for a head of state
Touching down in Berlin there was little doubt this is a significant visit.
A 21-gun salute and flypast greeted the King and Queen Consort as they stepped off the plane.
And then at the Brandenburg Gate a full ceremonial welcome.
No other head of state has been given this honour.
The monument, once a place of German division, is now a symbol of unity.
Which very much represents the diplomatic message underpinning the trip.
This is the King’s 29th official visit to Germany, but the first state visit of his reign.
The fact a close European neighbour was chosen says a lot.
It is a chance to put aside the turbulent frictions of Brexit, and renew relationships.
An opportunity to focus on common Anglo-German interests, such as the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis, both issues close to the King.
Of course, the State Visit wasn’t supposed to start in Berlin, but political protests in France mean Germany is now playing host.
The country is pulling out the stops during the three day visit. The King and Queen Consort are guests of honour at a white tie State Banquet.
And another first for the King will be when he addresses the German Parliament, something no other British monarch has done.
In a joint statement posted to Twitter, the King and Queen Consort said it was a “great joy” to be able to develop the “longstanding friendship” between the two nations.
Image: The King signs the guest book with Queen Consort. Pic: AP
“Ahead of our first state visit to Germany, we are very much looking forward to meeting all of those who make this country so special,” the statement read.
Image: People wait to greet the King and Queen Consort at the Brandenburg Gate
They will leave Berlin and travel to Hamburg on Friday.
A care worker who reported the alleged abuse of an elderly care home resident, which triggered a criminal investigation, is facing destitution and potential removal from Britain after speaking up.
“Meera”, whose name we have changed to protect her identity, said she witnessed an elderly male resident being punched several times in the back by a carer at the home where she worked.
Sky News is unable to name the care home for legal reasons because of the ongoing police investigation.
“I was [a] whistleblower there,” said Meera, who came to the UK from India last year to work at the home.
“Instead of addressing things, they fired me… I told them everything and they made me feel like I am criminal. I am not criminal, I am saving lives,” she added.
Image: ‘Meera’ spoke up about abuse she said she witnessed in the care home where she worked
Like thousands of foreign care workers, Meera’s employer sponsored her visa. Unless she can find another sponsor, she now faces the prospect of removal from the country.
“I am in trouble right now and no one is trying to help me,” she said.
More on Migrant Crisis
Related Topics:
Meera said she reported the alleged abuse to her bosses, but was called to a meeting with a manager and told to “change your statement, otherwise we will dismiss you”.
She refused. The following month, she was sacked.
The care home claimed she failed to perform to the required standard in the job.
She went to the police to report the alleged abuse and since then, a number of people from the care home have been arrested. They remain under investigation.
‘Migrants recruited because many are too afraid to speak out’
The home has capacity for over 60 residents. It is unclear if the care home residents or their relatives know about the police investigation or claim of physical abuse.
Since the arrests, the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), carried out an investigation at the home triggered by the concerns – but the home retained its ‘good’ rating.
Meera has had no reassurance from the authorities that she will be allowed to remain in Britain.
In order to stay, she’ll need to find another care home to sponsor her which she believes will be impossible without references from her previous employer.
She warned families: “I just want to know people in care homes like these… your person, your father, your parents, is not safe.”
She claimed some care homes have preferred to recruit migrants because many are too afraid to speak out.
“You hire local staff, they know the legal rights,” she said. “They can complain, they can work anywhere… they can raise [their] voice,” she said.
Image: Sky’s Becky Johnson spoke to ‘Meera’
Sky News has reported widespread exploitation of care visas and migrant care workers.
Currently migrants make up around a third of the adult social care workforce, with the majority here on visas that are sponsored by their employers.
As part of measures announced in April in the government’s immigration white paper, the care visa route will be closed, meaning care homes will no longer be able to recruit abroad.
‘Whole system is based on power imbalance’
But the chief executive of the Work Rights Centre, a charity that helps migrants with employment issues, is warning that little will change for the tens of thousands of foreign care workers already here.
“The whole system is based on power imbalance and the government announcement doesn’t change that,” Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol told Sky News.
She linked the conditions for workers to poor care for residents.
Image: Work Rights Centre CEO Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol
“I think the power that employers have over migrant workers’ visas really makes a terrible contribution to the quality of care,” she said.
Imran agrees. He came to the UK from Bangladesh, sponsored by a care company unrelated to the one Meera worked for. He says he frequently had to work 14-hour shifts with no break because there weren’t enough staff. He too believes vulnerable people are being put at risk by the working conditions of their carers.
Migrant workers ‘threatened’ over visas
“For four clients, there is [a] minimum requirement for two or three staff. I was doing [it] alone,” he said, in broken English.
“When I try to speak, they just directly threaten me about my visa,” he said.
“I knew two or three of my colleagues, they are facing the same issue like me. But they’re still afraid to speak up because of the visa.”
A government spokesperson called what happened to Imran and Meera “shocking”.
“No one should go to work in fear of their employer, and all employees have a right to speak up if they witness poor practice and care.”
James Bullion, from the CQC, told Sky News it acts on intelligence passed to it to ensure people stay safe in care settings.
Donald Trump may be denied the honour of addressing parliament on his state visit to the UK later this year, with no formal request yet submitted for him to be given that privilege.
Sky News has been told the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, hasn’t so far received a request to invite the US president to speak in parliament when he is expected to visit in September.
It was confirmed to MPs who have raised concerns about the US president being allowed to address both houses.
Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, wrote to the speaker in April asking him to stop Mr Trump from addressing parliament, and tabled an early-day motion outlining her concerns.
“I was happy to see Macron here but feel very differently about Trump,” she said.
“Trump has made some very uncomfortable and worrying comments around the UK government, democracy, the Middle East, particularly around equalities and, of course, Ukraine.
“So, I think there are many reasons why, when we’re looking at a state visit, we should be looking at why they’re being afforded that privilege. Because, of course, it is a privilege for somebody to come and address both of the houses.”
But the timing of the visit may mean that any diplomatic sensitivities, or perceptions of a snub, could be avoided.
Image: France’s President Emmanuel Macron addressed parliament during his state visit this month
Lord Ricketts, a former UK ambassador to France, pointed out that parliament isn’t sitting for much of September, and that could help resolve the issue.
In 2017, he wrote a public letter questioning the decision to give Donald Trump his first state visit, saying it put Queen Elizabeth II in a “very difficult position”.
Parliament rises from 16 September until 13 October due to party conferences.
The dates for the state visit haven’t yet been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the government.
However, they have not denied that it will take place in September, after Mr Trump appeared to confirm they were planning to hold the state visit that month. The palace confirmed this week that the formal planning for his arrival had begun.
With the King likely to still be in Scotland in early September for events such as the Braemar Gathering, and the anniversary of his accession and the death of Queen Elizabeth on the 8th September, it may be expected that the visit would take place sometime from mid to the end of September, also taking into consideration the dates of the Labour Party conference starting on the 28th September and possibly the Lib Dem’s conference from the 20th-23rd.
Image: Mr Trump has said he believes the trip to the UK will take place in September. Pic: Reuters
When asked about parliamentary recess potentially solving the issue, Ms Osborne said: “It may be a way of dealing with it in a very diplomatic way… I don’t know how much control we have over Trump’s diary.
“But if we can manoeuvre it in a way that means that the House isn’t sitting, then that seems like a good solution, maybe not perfect, because I’d actually like him to know that he’s not welcome.”
A message from the speaker’s office, seen by Sky News, says: “Formal addresses to both Houses of Parliament are not automatically included in the itinerary of such a state visit.
“Whether a foreign head of state addresses parliament, during a state visit or otherwise, is part of the planning decisions.”
Image: Mr Trump made his first state visit to the UK in June 2019 during his first presidency. File pic: Reuters
It’s understood that if the government agrees to a joint address to parliament, the Lord Chamberlain’s office writes to the two speakers, on behalf of the King, to ask them to host this.
It will be Mr Trump’s second state visit.
During his first, in 2019, he didn’t address parliament, despite the fact that his predecessor, Barack Obama, was asked to do so.
It was unclear if this was due to the fact John Bercow, the speaker at the time, made it clear he wasn’t welcome to do so.
However, it didn’t appear to dampen Mr Trump’s excitement about his time with the Royal Family.
Speaking earlier this year, he described his state visit as “a fest” adding “it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William; we have really just a great respect for the family. And I think they’re setting a date for September.”
It is expected that, like Mr Macron, the pageantry for his trip this time will revolve around Windsor, with refurbishment taking place at Buckingham Palace.
Liverpool have retired the number 20 shirt in honour of Diogo Jota – the first time it has made such a gesture.
The club said it was a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and the decision was made in consultation with his wife and family.
The number 20 will be retired at all levels, including the men’s and women’s first teams and academy squads.
A statement said: “It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20.”
The club called it a “recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them”.
Image: Jota’s wife joined Liverpool players to view tributes at Anfield on Friday. Pic: Liverpool FC
Image: Pic: Liverpool FC
Newly-married Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini crashed in northern Spain on 3 July.