From the BZ editorial team
With a slight accent but absolutely no grammatical errors, the British King Charles III. (74) spoke to the Bundestag in German on Thursday. He is the first monarch ever to give a speech in the Bundestag.
In between there was repeated applause, at the end standing ovations from the deputies.
Many ask themselves: How does the British monarch actually speak German so well? His mother Queen Elizabeth II († 96), who died last year, was better known for being fluent in French.
The language skills are likely to come from the father’s side. Charles’ father Prince Philip, who died in 2021 at the age of 99, spoke German at a native level.
King Charles III of Great Britain speaks in the Bundestag on the second day of his trip to Germany Photo: Wolfgang Kumm/dpa
Because: Philip was a descendant of German-Danish nobility (House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg). His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, his grandmother Princess Victoria of Hesse-Darmstadt.
Philip not only had connections to Germany on his mother’s side, but also through his sisters: Princesses Margarita, Theodora, Cecilia and Sophia all married into the German nobility. As a boy, Philip even lived in Germany for a while and attended the Salem Castle school.
The connection to Germany also had its downsides: Due to anti-German sentiment in Britain after the war and because three of his brothers-in-law had Nazi ties, Philip was not allowed to invite his sisters to Elizabeth’s wedding in 1947.
Philip and son Charles 1979 Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
Strong relationship with Germany
When three of the 30 guests from Germany came to his funeral, which was very small due to the pandemic, in 2021, it must have dawned on many Britons that private relations with German relatives were being maintained more closely than was communicated to the outside world.
Charles has several first cousins in Germany.
At his father’s request, Charles also went to Gordonstoun boarding school in Scotland, which Philip had attended himself. It was founded by the German educator Kurt Hahn, who had previously implemented his concepts in Salem on Lake Constance.
It is unclear whether Charles learned German at Gordonstoun boarding school, according to the BBC he passed his A-Level exams in French and history. According to the homepage, however, German is currently part of the curriculum there.
Merkel in health sneakers at the state banquet
At the state banquet, SHE put what was probably the smartest sole on the floor!
“Mum” Merkel comes in (the) slippers – here with her health kicks Photo: dpa/picture-alliance
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (68, CDU) was one of the 130 guests of honor at the royal gala dinner at Bellevue Palace on Wednesday evening. She has known King Charles (74) for years.
And so Merkel acted quite calmly – also fashionable: gold chain with amber (she loves natural stones) with a matching three-button blazer (wild silk) and a black skirt. And under? Health sneaker with a chunky sole.
Not glamorous, but “mum”-moderately comfortable!