The two most devastating wars in human history turned the United Kingdom and Germany into two long irreconcilable enemies. And today, when the relationship between the two nations is fully normalized but had deteriorated somewhat due to Brexit, another war, in this case the one in Ukraine, has forced London and Berlin to strengthen their ties as much as possible. All this background marks the three-day state trip that King Carlos III concludes this Friday in the country from which his dynasty originates, Germany.
A visit loaded with symbolism and pregnant with curious scenes as is required at a time when the representatives of the monarchies are asked to get as close as possible to the citizen and embrace a certain populism - along these lines we saw this week Felipe VI playing the cajón in Cadiz-. But above all, a visit in which Carlos III dedicated his most far-reaching political messages to the aggressive war being perpetrated by Putin's Russian regime and which represents the greatest threat to peace and security on the Old Continent since the end of the Second world war.
"Germany's decision to provide such great military support to Ukraine was an extremely courageous, important and welcome decision," said Charles III in his speech before the Bundestag on Thursday, becoming the first British king to deliver a speech before Parliament german federal. One of the many honors that are characterizing the extraordinary gift given by the authorities of the federal Republic to the monarch, which has included unusual gestures such as the fact that two Typhoon fighter planes escorted the monarch's plane as soon as it entered German airspace or that the sovereign was the first head of state to be officially welcomed, with the highest military honors, in a place as emblematic as the Brandenburg Gate.
Voices like that of the deputy of La Izquierda Ates Gürpinar remained in the minority, criticizing the "absurdity" of allowing a king to speak in the Bundestag because, in his opinion, "monarchies are basically dictatorships with historical tinsel", according to the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
Darts that, in any case, have neither penetrated nor have tarnished a placid visit for Carlos III on the eve of his coronation. Praising the German authorities for the role they are assuming in support of Kiev was also the main argument of his speech at the gala dinner held on Wednesday night at Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the President of the Republic. . The monarch underlined the "extraordinary hospitality" of the country, which has welcomed more than a million Ukrainian refugees. And he emphasized that the United Kingdom and Germany "are united" with Ukraine "in defense of freedom and sovereignty."
But it wasn't all lofty phrases. Carlos III has done well to occupy the throne. Despite the family controversies that do not stop, he is seen more and more relaxed in his new role. And in the toast during the mentioned banquet until enjoyment. He provoked laughter from the attendees, among whom was the entire German ruling class -headed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and with the assistance of former leaders such as Angela Merkel-, with jokes such as the allusion to the mythical English sketch Dinner for One, a television broadcast that has become a cult tradition every New Year's Eve in Germany, where it has already been broadcast more than 230 times. "It is very kind of him not to have left me alone with a dinner for one," the sovereign joked to the audience, who laughed heartily at the joke. Carlos III has also put the Germans in his pocket by delivering part of his speeches both in the Bellevue Palace and in the Bundestag in their language, a no small effort given that it was only known that the current king had basic notions of German - although his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, spoke it perfectly.
This Thursday afternoon, the King, accompanied by President Steinmeier, visited one of the centers in Berlin for Ukrainian citizens who have had to flee the barbarism of war.
And the state trip will conclude on Friday with the displacement of Carlos and Camila to one of the most Anglophile cities in Germany, Hamburg. Here the circle will close again. Because the most significant act will be the visit to the San Nicolás Memorial Church which, like the rest of the town, was devastated by the bombing by the Allied forces in July 1943, during World War II. In this case, Carlos III will only follow in the footsteps of his mother, who with each of her visits to Germany contributed to the reconciliation of the two countries, both now united by a common enemy.
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