Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) announced the upcoming visit of King Charles III. in Hamburg as a “strong political sign”. “After Brexit and the death of the Queen last year, which caused the greatest dismay and sympathy in Hamburg, the King’s visit is also a strong political sign of the bond between Germany and Great Britain in difficult times,” said Tschentscher on Tuesday in Hamburg . The visit builds on the long shared history of the Hanseatic city and the United Kingdom and at the same time addresses the key future issues of both countries.
After arriving at Dammtor station, the royal couple will lay flowers at the Kindertransport memorial in front of the station on Friday. It commemorates Jewish children who were sent to Britain during the Nazi era. This is followed by a joint wreath-laying ceremony at the St. Nikolai memorial.
The church was destroyed during British and American air raids on Hamburg in 1943. The royal couple, who have previously visited Berlin and Brandenburg, will be accompanied by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender.
At about 1 p.m. in front of the Hamburg City Hall, where the royal couple is signing the Golden Book, the citizens have the opportunity to follow the arrival of the king and his wife “and to give them a warm welcome,” said Tschentscher. Perhaps the royal couple will also wave from the town hall balcony.
After that, King Charles III. a harbor tour with entrepreneurs. “Topics are the decarbonization of the maritime economy, the promotion of renewable energies and hydrogen technology, as well as the environmentally and climate-friendly transformation of industry,” said Tschentscher.
Despite the difficulties of Brexit, Great Britain is still an important trading partner for Hamburg. Around 1,000 Hamburg companies have business connections with Great Britain, many of them have local branches.
At the same time, Elke Büdenbender and Queen Camilla attend the Rudolf Roß Elementary School, which teaches bilingually in German and English. The state visit ends with a reception hosted by the British Embassy.
The police point out that there may be traffic delays due to road closures due to the state visit and asks people to use public transport.
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