The King helped make a special cheese and enjoyed a slice of cake shaped like a crown as he visited an organic farm in the German countryside.
On the second day of his state visit in Germany, the King toured the eco-village of Brodowin 50 miles northeast of Berlin where he discussed environmental matters and farming
“We heard that the King is a great lover of cheese,” said Katja von Maltzan, who with her husband runs the Brodowin farm.
“We took that as an opportunity to make our own creation for him,” she said.
While in Brodowin, His Majesty also sampled a crown shaped cake made to commemorate his visit.
The cake was made from white chocolate with sugar icing gems and raspberries on top.
His Majesty also talked shop with the employees and asked questions about organic farming, Leonie Schierning, the executive assistant of the farm said.
Image: King Charles III looks at a cake made especially for his visit in the Brodowin eco-village. Pic:AP
Image: King Charles III, Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Woidke, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visit a cheese dairy
Image: A finished wheel of Brodowin King cheese. Pic: AP
“We talked about cow manure and how good it is for the soil,” she added.
Earlier, the King spoke about politics, history and “renewing the pledge of friendship” as he became the first British monarch to address the German parliament.
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The overwhelming message of the speech, parts of which were in German, was one of renewing the “special bond of friendship” between the two countries, which he said had meant so much to his mother, the Queen.
“Germany is the only country worldwide with whom the UK has such a joint unit,” the King said.
“I can hardly begin to express the pride I feel in the strength of the partnership between our two countries.”
Sky’s royal correspondent Laura Bundock said that despite there being no mention of Brexit, the speech focused on “looking ahead” in a post-Brexit age.
Throughout the address, which was intermittently interrupted by rounds of applause from members of the Bundestag, the King did not shy away from making references to the Ukraine invasion and to the Second World War.
“Seventy-five years after the Second World War, it was of great importance to me to stand with Germans in honouring all victims of war and tyranny, and to be the first members of my family to participate in those deeply moving commemorations,” he said.
He described the war in Ukraine as an “unprovoked invasion” that has “inflicted the most unimaginable suffering on so many innocent people” with countless lives being lost.
“The world has watched in horror – but we have not stood by,” he added, praising both Germany and the UK for being Europe’s two largest financial contributors to the war-torn country.
A message of partnership and alliance
As his speech finished there was a standing ovation from the Bundestag.
For the German politicians watching and listening, the King had met the moment.
He is the first British monarch to address the parliament in Germany.
Delivering his speech in both English and German, it felt personal and powerful.
This was a message of partnership and alliance, of reconciliation after the Second World War, and of solidarity in supporting Ukraine.
There was enormous warmth in his words. He told the parliament how much Germany had meant to his mother, and spoke of his “cherished” family relations in the country.
There was no mention of Brexit or divisions.
This speech was all about renewing relations, reminding both Britain and Germany of their shared histories, common interests and future friendship.
At points the King’s speech amused the congregation. He hailed the two countries for having “laughed together – both at each other, and with each other”, before going on to highlight key cultural moments, including England’s Lionesses beating Germany to win Euro 2022.
He also celebrated their cultural contributions to the world, joking that more recent generations will think of The Beatles and Kraftwerk as much as Brahms and Shakespeare.
The King’s speech has been the most anticipated event on his agenda during the three-day trip to Germany.
After arriving in Berlin on Wednesday, the King spoke at a state banquet hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, where he pledged to “strengthen the connections” between the UK and Germany.
Image: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz welcomes King Charles. Pic: AP
Image: King Charles and Queen Consort at a farmer’s market
The King again addressed guests in both English and German and stressed that he was “utterly convinced” the bond between them “will grow ever stronger”.
The IDF has admitted to mistakenly identifying a convoy of aid workers as a threat – following the emergence of a video which proved their ambulances were clearly marked when Israeli troops opened fire on them.
The bodies of 15 aid workers – including eight medics working for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) – were found in a “mass grave” after the incident, according to the head of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Jonathan Whittall.
The Israeli military originally claimed an investigation found the vehicles did not have any headlights or emergency signals and were therefore targeted as they looked “suspicious”.
But video footage obtained by the PRCS, and verified by Sky News, showed the ambulances and a fire vehicle clearly marked with flashing red lights.
In a briefing from the IDF, they said the ambulances arrived in the Tel Sultan neighbourhood in Rafah shortly after a Hamas police vehicle drove through.
Image: Palestinians mourning the medics after their bodies were recovered. Pic: Reuters
An IDF surveillance aircraft was watching the movement of the ambulances and notified troops on the ground. The IDF said it will not be releasing that footage.
When the ambulances arrived, the soldiers opened fire, thinking the medics were a threat, according to the IDF.
The soldiers were surprised by the convoy stopping on the road and several people getting out quickly and running, the IDF claimed, adding the soldiers were unaware the suspects were in fact unarmed medics.
An Israeli military official would not say how far away troops were when they fired on the vehicles.
The IDF acknowledged that its statement claiming that the ambulances had their lights off was incorrect, and was based on the testimony from the soldiers in the incident.
The newly emerged video footage showed that the ambulances were clearly identifiable and had their lights on, the IDF said.
The IDF added that there will be a re-investigation to look into this discrepancy.
Image: The clip is filmed through a vehicle windscreen – with three red light vehicles visible in front
Addressing the fact the aid workers’ bodies were buried in a mass grave, the IDF said in its briefing this is an approved and regular practice to prevent wild dogs and other animals from eating the corpses.
The IDF could not explain why the ambulances were also buried.
The IDF said six of the 15 people killed were linked to Hamas, but revealed no detail to support the claim.
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1:22
Bodies of aid workers found in Gaza
The newly emerged footage of the incident was discovered on a phone belonging to one of the workers who was killed, PRCS president Dr Younis Al Khatib said.
“His phone was found with his body and he recorded the whole event,” he said. “His last words before being shot, ‘Forgive me, mom. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to save lives’.”
Sky News used an aftermath video and satellite imagery to verify the location and timing of the newly emerged footage of the incident.
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2:43
Aid worker attacks increasing
It was filmed on 23 March north of Rafah and shows a convoy of marked ambulances and a fire-fighting vehicle travelling south along a road towards the city centre. All the vehicles visible in the convoy have their flashing lights on.
The footage was filmed early in the morning, with a satellite image seen by Sky News taken at 9.48am local time on the same day showing a group of vehicles bunched together off the road.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hit out at the US over its “weak” response to lethal Russian attacks on his hometown on Friday.
President Zelenskyy posted a lengthy and emotional statement on X about Russia’s strikes on Kryvyi Rih, which killed 19 people.
Meanwhile Ukrainian drones hit an explosives factory in Russia’s Samara region in an overnight strike, a member of Ukraine’s SBU security service told Reuters.
In his post, President Zelenskyy accused the United States of being “afraid” to name-check Russia in its comment on the attack.
“Unfortunately, the reaction of the American Embassy is unpleasantly surprising: such a strong country, such a strong people – and such a weak reaction,” he wrote on X.
“They are even afraid to say the word “Russian” when talking about the missile that killed children.”
America’s ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink had written on X: “Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih.
“More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end.”
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5:49
Strike on Zelenskyy’s home city
President Zelenskyy went on in his post to say: “Yes, the war must end. But in order to end it, we must not be afraid to call a spade a spade.
“We must not be afraid to put pressure on the only one who continues this war and ignores all the world’s proposals to end it. We must put pressure on Russia, which chooses to kill children instead of a ceasefire.”
Grandmother ‘burned to death in her home’
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defense council, said the missile attack, followed by a drone attack, had killed 19 people, including nine children.
“The Iskander-M missile strike with cluster munitions at the children’s playground in the residential area, to make the shrapnel fly further apart, killed 18 people.
“One grandmother was burnt to death in her house after Shahed’s direct hit.”
Russia’s defence ministry said it had struck a military gathering in a restaurant – an assertion rebutted by the Ukrainian military as misinformation.
“The missile hit right on the street – around ordinary houses, a playground, shops, a restaurant,” President Zelenskyy wrote.
Mr Zelenskyy also detailed the child victims of the attack including “Konstantin, who will be 16 forever” and “Arina, who will also be 7 forever”.
The UK’s chief of the defence staff Sir Tony Radakin said he had met the Ukrainian leader on Friday, along with French armed forces leader General Thierry Burkhard.
“Britain and France are coming together & Europe is stepping up in a way that is real & substantial, with 200 planners from 30 nations working to strengthen Ukraine’s long term security,” Sir Tony wrote.
Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.
The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.
The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.