King Charles to travel to France and Germany in first state visits

The first state visits of the reign of King Charles are going to be to France and Germany, Buckingham Palace has announced.

King Charles and Camilla the Queen Consort will travel to the countries on a visit from 26 to 31 March.

President Emmanuel Macron of France will host a state banquet for the royal couple at the Palace of Versailles.

In Germany, the King will be the first British sovereign to address the Bundestag, the German parliament.

The royal couple will also visit memorials to Allied bombing in Hamburg and to young Jewish refugees who fled the Nazis.

As head of state, the King's official visits are decided on government advice - and these symbolic first overseas destinations will be seen as prioritising stronger relations with European neighbours.

Earlier this week the King met the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, when she visited the UK to announce a deal on Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland.

As well as addressing what a Buckingham Palace spokesperson called the "sacrifices and challenges of our shared past", the European trip will focus on modern challenges, such as climate change and Ukraine.

Buckingham Palace says the trips will "celebrate Britain's relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values".

In France, the King and Queen Consort will process along the Champs Elysees in Paris, before meeting President Macron at the Elysee Palace.

King Charles will address senators and members of the French National Assembly, the first such speech by a member of the British royal family in the French parliamentary chamber.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, with Brigitte Macron, will open a Manet and Degas art exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay art gallery.

The state visit will also include Bordeaux, where the royal couple will tour an organic vineyard, which uses solar energy and a sustainable approach to wine making. Make-up is produced as a by-product of making the wine.

In a statement, President Macron said it was an honour France had been chosen for the King's first state visit as monarch and this "illustrates the depth of the historical links uniting our two countries".

In Germany, the King and Queen Consort will visit Berlin and Hamburg. In Hamburg, they will go to the St. Nikolai Memorial, the remains of a church destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War.

Wreaths will be laid at an event of remembrance and reconciliation, marking the 80th anniversary of bombing raids on the German port city.

They will also lay flowers at a memorial to the Kindertransport children who were Jewish refugees from the Nazis.

In Germany, there will be a ceremonial welcome from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which is believed to be the first time that symbolic venue has been used for the start of a state visit.

The King will meet refugees from the conflict in Ukraine and will hear about the support provided for them when they arrive in Germany.

The last UK state visit to Germany was carried out in 2015 by Queen Elizabeth II, and she visited France in 2014.

As Prince of Wales, Charles paid 34 official visits to France and 28 to Germany.

The visits will take place in the run up to the King's coronation, to be held in Westminster Abbey on 6 May.