While Buckingham Palace has kept the details of the German State
Visit under wraps until they happen, their guest has other ideas
and is telling everyone just what he will get up to while in the
UK.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s office has announced his
full itinerary for the three day State Visit and revealed that
the 90 year old Duke of Kent
will play a vital role in one of the most important parts of the
trip.
As the State Visit concludes, President Steinmeier is heading to
Coventry to attend a memorial service there. The city was heavily
bombed during World War Two and its cathedral had to be rebuilt
after serious damage. It is seen as a place of reconciliation and
forgiveness and the President will be joined there by the Duke of
Kent.
The Duke will accompany the German President on a tour of
Coventry Cathedral. Only parts of the medieval church, including
the spire, survived the bombing and the new cathedral was
consecrated in 1962. The two men will see some of the symbols of
reconciliation that are in the church including the Charred Cross
which was made from the ruins of the old cathedral.
They will also see the statue of Reconciliation which was
presented to the Cathedral in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of
the end of World War Two. A similar copy has been given to the
Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan.
The Duke of Kent has been heavily involved in reconciliation
movements between the UK and Germany and attended the consecration
of the new church in Dresden. It had to be rebuilt after heavy
bombing raids by British and US troops in the final months of World
War Two. Dresden was very badly damaged and 25,000 people were
killed.
Another poignant moment will follow when the Duke of Kent and
the President of Germany meet veterans.
The visit is one of the stand out moments of the State Visit and
the importance that King Charles places on the role of the Duke of
Kent within the Royal Family has been underlined by his involvement
at Coventry.
The State Visit got under way on December 3 with an official
welcome ceremony at Windsor Castle hosted by King Charles and Queen
Camilla.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke
Budenbender, had been met at Heathrow by the Prince and Princess of
Wales who accompanied them to Windsor.
A carriage procession through the town to the castle
followed.
After the ceremonial, which included the inspection of a Guard
of Honour, the German President was hosted for lunch where other
members of the Royal Family, including the Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh, joined them.
They were all later shown parts of the Royal Collection with
particular links to Germany. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince
Albert, featured heavily in the display and he had a big influence
on the stand out moment of the State Visit which followed
later.
The State Banquet at Windsor Castle saw the Princess of Wales
were the Circlet tiara which Prince Albert helped design for Queen
Victoria. The Prince Consort was inspired by Indian architecture
and created a diadem based on pointed arches. These are covered in
diamonds and have a central stone. In Albert’s day, they were opals
but when Queen Alexandra became the owner of the tiara, she
switched those for rubies.
The tiara was left to the Crown by Victoria and since then has
only ever been worn by queens. Kate is the first princess to wear
it.
Day two of the State Visit will include a gala banquet hosted by
the Lord Mayor of London. The President of Germany will also lay a
wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II in St. George’s Chapel in
Windsor.
The State Visit is designed to cement relations between Germany
and the UK. The visit to Coventry will be a vital part of that.
