His Majesty, King Charles III will address the members of the German Bundestag on Thursday, 30 March 2023. The Venerable Dr Leslie Nathaniel has received an invitation from the Bundestag President to be present during the address.

The King, also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will be in Germany from Wednesday, 29 March - Friday, 31 March, as part of a state visit with his wife Her Majesty the Queen Consort.

The Bundestag will interrupt its regular 94th plenary session for the occasion. The special event is scheduled to begin at 12 noon and will be broadcast live on www.bundestag.de. Bundestag President Bärbel Bas will give a welcome address at the beginning. This will be followed by a speech by King Charles III.

This is not the first time that the British Head of State has spoken in the Reichstag building. Almost three years ago, Charles, in his capacity as Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, gave a speech at the central commemoration event of the German War Graves Commission. The hour of remembrance in honour of the victims of war and tyranny was marked by the German-British friendship 75 years after the end of the war. It was the first time that a member of the British royal family had taken part in the commemoration ceremony, which traditionally takes place in the plenary hall of the Reichstag building in Berlin and is held under the patronage of the President of the Bundestag.

The King’s family ties with Germany are strong. The three elder sisters of the King’s father, the Duke of Edinburgh, were all married to German Princes. And three of the daughters of Queen Victoria, married into German Royal Houses, notably, the Princess Royal Princess Victoria (Vicky) who was to be Empress of Germany briefly in 1888, during the brief reign of her husband Frederick III, who was succeeded by Kaiser Wilhelm II. War in Europe from 1914 was particularly poignant as King George V was first cousin to the German Kaiser and the Czar of Russia. Peace in Europe has always been very close to the heart of the King or Queen, as Head of State.

On 22 February 2023 His Majesty, King Charles III received the Bundestag President for an audience at Buckingham Palace during her visit to the United Kingdom. The occasion was to congratulate the King on his accession to the throne.

The Venerable Dr Leslie Nathaniel has received an invitation from the Bundestag President to be present in the Bundestag during the address of His Majesty.