Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

King welcomes president of German parliament to Buckingham Palace

Charles met Barbel Bas ahead of his expected trip to Germany later this month.

Laura Elston
Wednesday 22 February 2023 11:44 EST
The King receives the President of the German Bundestag, Barbel Bas, during an audience at Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA)
The King receives the President of the German Bundestag, Barbel Bas, during an audience at Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The King has held an audience with the president of the German parliament.

Charles, who is expected to become the first British monarch to address the Bundestag during a state visit to Germany later this month, welcomed Barbel Bas to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon.

Charles and Ms Bas shook hands in the Palace’s 1844 Room, with the pair appearing in good humour, laughing as they chatted and greeted one another.

The King’s trip to Germany is expected to follow immediately after a state visit to France, which is due to be Charles’s first official journey abroad since he acceded to the throne.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the reported trips.

Katja Mast, first parliamentary secretary of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, welcomed the forthcoming visit, telling the Deutsche Presse-Agentur that German-British friendship was “extremely important to Europe and the world” post-Brexit and amid the war in Ukraine.

The King previously addressed the Bundestag in Berlin in 2020 as the Prince of Wales.

Charles and the Queen Consort are expected to travel to Paris in the last week of March at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Le Parisien newspaper reported they will attend a state dinner at the Elysee Palace, with Camilla also holding a meeting with France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron.

Charles earlier on Wednesday visited the warehouse and kitchens of the Felix Project food distribution charity in east London, but Camilla pulled out of the engagement while she continues to recover from Covid.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in