Charles: Bond with Germany must endure despite relationship ‘transition’

The Prince of Wales is set to emphasise the importance of an enduring relationship between the UK and Germany “whatever is negotiated and agreed between governments and institutions”.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are due to begin a tour of Germany on Tuesday at the request of the British Government.

On their first night in Berlin, Charles will make a speech at the Queen’s Birthday Party, an annual event hosted by the British Ambassador at his residence in the capital.

At the event, the prince will recognise that relations between the UK and Germany are “in transition”, but will seek to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the UK-Germany bilateral relationship.

Charles will say: “These past decades have seen extraordinary change across Europe and, today, Berlin is a proud statement of just how far we have come and of the enduring hope of past, present and future generations.

“It offers a powerful reminder that we must take nothing for granted, and of how today, as for centuries, the fortunes of all of us who share this small continent are so tightly interwoven by the myriad connections between us.

“For some of us, of course, these connections are particularly personal. For me there are so many family connections and associations with Germany, as indeed with so many parts of Europe, going back for generations.”

Continuing to address his personal connections to Germany, Charles will say: “This year, for instance, we celebrate the bicentenaries of my great, great, great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were both born in 1819.

“Prinz Albert von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha was the most remarkable man who, in his all-too-short life, had such far-reaching influence on the arts, science, trade and industry in Britain.

“To my family, he brought not just familial ties to what is now Germany, which we still cherish, but an affinity with German culture, and tradition, and a wish to share it across national borders.”

Speaking of the importance of an enduring relationship between the two countries, Charles will say: “Today, we are so much more than simply neighbours: we are friends and natural partners, bound together by our common experience, mutual interests and shared values, and deeply invested in each other’s futures.

“It is a relationship in transition. But whatever the shape of our future relationship, and whatever is negotiated and agreed between governments and institutions, it is more clear to me than it has ever been, that the bonds between us will, and must, endure – and that our young people, and future generations, will have as much cause to cherish those bonds as our generation has had.

“Our countries and our people have been through so much together. As we look towards the future, I can only hope that we can also pledge to redouble our commitment to each other and to the ties between us.

“In so doing, we can ensure that our continent will never again see the division and conflict of the past; that together, we will continue to be an indispensable force for good in our world; and that the friendships and partnerships that bind us together will continue to create opportunity for us all.”