King to host first German state visit in 27 years

Telegraph reporters

13 October 2025 at 2:44 pm

The King is to host the first incoming state visit by a German president for 27 years.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier will be hosted by the King and the Queen at Windsor Castle from Dec 3 to 5.

In September, the King hosted Donald Trump, the US president, for a stay at the castle and in July Emmanuel Macron, the French president, was welcomed for a state visit.

The monarch, 76, will travel to Italy at the end of the month for a state visit to Vatican City to meet the Pope.

In 2023, the King travelled to Germany with the Queen for the first state visit since his accession.

He received a standing ovation when he delivered the first speech by a British monarch during a session of the Bundestag federal parliament and told a packed chamber he wished to "renew the pledge of friendship between our nations".

Mr Steinmeier, who attended the King and Queen's coronation, will be accompanied by his wife, Elke Budenbender, a former judge.

Further details of the state visit are set to include a ceremonial welcome, a grand state banquet in Windsor Castle's St George's Hall, and talks with Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister.

During the Trumps' visit to Britain, the King spent lunch and dinner with them as well as escorting them on a full day of activities.

Private talks with the monarch were said to be "very important" in persuading Mr Trump that Ukraine could win the war against Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky's top adviser told The Telegraph.

The King has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine's resistance against the Russian invasion.

In March, he hosted Mr Zelensky at Sandringham for tea, days after the Ukrainian leader's bruising encounter with Mr Trump and JD Vance in the White House.

His Majesty carried out official engagements on 175 days during the past 12 months, compared with 133 the previous year and 161 in the first year of his reign.

The King, who was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, had 22 formal audiences with his prime minister during the past year: the same number as in his second year, but four fewer than the 26 in his first year.