King Charles III commemorated the more than 30,000 people, mostly German civilians, who were killed in the Allied bombing of Hamburg in World War II, almost 80 years ago as he visited the northern city on Friday, March 31, 2023, on the last leg of his first foreign trip since becoming Monarch.
The attack in July 1943 carried out by British and American planes using incendiary bombs was a response to Nazi Germany’s deadly aerial raids on Britain.
It resulted in a firestorm which destroyed large parts of the city and remains a painful memory in the Hanseatic port’s proud history.
King Charles laid a black and red wreath with the inscription, “In everlasting remembrance” and the Queen Consort Camilla laid a white rose on the steps beside it at the ruined church of St. Nikolai, now a memorial site.
They listened as Hamburg’s Bishop Kirsten Fehrs read the Coventry Litany of Reconciliation, written to commemorate the destruction of the English city of Coventry by German bombers in 1940.
The roofless church is now only a skeleton of its former self, but it had been designed by the English architect, George Gilbert Scott.
The same architect had designed the Albert Memorial in London, built in honour of the King’s German ancestor, Prince Albert.
However, the high Gothic steeple of the church had been used as a navigation aid for bomber pilots and much of the church was destroyed.
Readings at St. Nikolai spoke of setting grievances aside and avoiding the “hatred that divides nations from nations”. As with other parts of the state visit, there was tight security, with a police helicopter flying overhead as the choir sang.
The royal couple were accompanied to Hamburg by German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, making the two-hour journey from Berlin by high-speed train.
King Charles And Camilla Visit Kindertransporte Memorial
Earlier, King Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, visited a memorial to the Kindertransporte, or children’s transports, which saw more than 10,000 Jewish children receive refuge from Nazi Germany in the U.K. in 1938.
Despite persistent drizzle, well-wishers waited patiently to greet Charles and Camilla at their stops in Hamburg, a city that sees itself as having a particularly close connection to Britain due to its long seafaring and trading ties.
There was also a visit to Hamburg’s city hall and an event at which the King heard about efforts to develop green technologies.
This was the final day of a three-day state visit to Germany, the first of the reign of King Charles.
The royal couple landed in the German capital on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, where President Frank-Walter Steinmeier greeted them at the Brandenburg Gate with full military honors and later hosted a banquet in their honor.
Charles’ trip is part of a carefully calibrated effort by the U.K. government to mend frayed ties with its continental partners after Brexit.
In speeches and events, he delivered a message of needing to strengthen relations between Britain and Germany, against shared challenges such as the war in Ukraine and tackling climate change.
A boat trip and a farewell reception involving musical performances, including performances by a Beatles cover band and a sea shanty group, will round off the King’s visit.
READ ALSO: Japanese Foreign Minister To Visit China
