King Charles to try to thaw post-Brexit relations with Europe on first trip abroad - Action News
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King Charles to try to thaw post-Brexit relations with Europe on first trip abroad

Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, are set to visit the European Union's two biggest countries March 26-31, hosted by Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, Buckingham Palace announced.

The King's first state visits as monarch will be to France and Germany

Charles and Camilla are seen disembarking their plane in Yellowknife.
Then-Prince Charles and Camilla disembark their plane in Yellowknife during part of the Royal Tour of Canada in May 2022. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

King Charles will travel to France and Germany for his first state visits since becoming monarch, Buckingham Palace said Friday, underscoring Britain's efforts to build bridges with its European neighbours following years of strained relations caused by Brexit.

Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, are set to visit the European Union's two biggest countries March 26-31, hosted by Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, the palace announced.

The trip will be an opportunity to celebrate the nations' shared histories and values, commitment to environmental preservation and co-operation on the war in Ukraine, the palace said.

Highlighting the significance of the trip is the fact that it will be the first state visit by a British monarch since 2015; the late Queen Elizabethstopped travelling abroad in her later years.

King Charles shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in an ornate room in Windsor Castle.
King Charles receives European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during an audience at Windsor Castle on Monday Feb. 27. (Aaron Chown/Pool/Reuters)

The announcement came just days after Charles met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a breakthrough in talks to resolve the dispute over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Sunak will be anxious to use the soft power of the monarchy to highlight the thaw in relations between the U.K. and the EU, which have been strained by Britain's decision to leave the bloc.

The trip to France and Germany is being made at the request of the British government and at the invitations of the two governments, the palace said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak  and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris dressed in suits and walking side-by-side in a factory.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris hold a Q&A session with local business leaders in Northern Ireland. (Liam McBurney/Pool/Reuters)

The royals will travel first to France, where they will be greeted by Macron and take part in a ceremony of remembrance at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Charles will later meet with members of the National Assembly and Senate and attend a state banquet at the Chateau de Versailles.

The French leg of the trip will also include traveling to Bordeaux, which is home to a large British community. The royal couple plan to visit an organic vineyard and one of the areas devastated by wildfires last summer.

Charles and Camilla are scheduled to travel to Germany on March 29, where they will be greeted by Steinmeier and Charles plans to address the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. Steinmeier will also host a state banquet for the royal couple.

King Charles and Camilla standing in a room together dressed in blue. Camilla is holding papers.
Camilla, Queen Consort, and King Charles at and event in London on Feb. 23. (Chris Jackson/Pool/Reuters)

Soft power

Charles will also meet with Ukrainian refugees in Germany, visit a joint U.K.-German military unit and travel to Hamburg, where he will visit sustainable energy projects.

While the royals have ceded most of their powers to the nation's elected leaders, the aura of the monarchy and the pomp and ceremony of royal visits are still seen as a way to burnish the U.K.'s image and bolster ties with nations around the globe.

This role was epitomized by Elizabeth, who made 121 state visits during her 70-year reign, leading royal historian Robert Hardman to dub her "Queen of the World."

When Charles met with von der Leyen on Monday, Buckingham Palace was quick to stress that he was working in concert with the government.

"The King is pleased to meet any world leader, if they are visiting Britain, and it is the government's advice that he should do so," the palace said before that meeting.

Prince Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron sitting down and speaking at the COP26 summit.
Charles greets the President of France Emmanuel Macron (right) ahead of their bilateral during at the Cop26 summit at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on Nov; 1, 2021. (Jane Barlow/PA Wire/Reuters)

Charles on friendly terms with Macron

The French leg of the trip may have a particular significance for Charles, who is said to have formed a close relationship with Macron because of the two men's shared focus on protecting the environment and fighting climate change.

Mutual respect also was expressed by Germany's president. In a video message, Steinmeier said he last met Charles at Elizabeth's funeral and invited him to visit Germany as King. He said that Charles's decision to visit half a year later shows how much the King values the friendship between Germans and Britons.

The German president said Charles's decision to travel to Germany and France "is also an important European gesture."

"I would like to say to him, but of course also to all Britons: We in Germany, we in Europe, want close and friendly relations with the United Kingdom after Brexit as well," Steinmeier said.

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