Queen and Prince Philip begin state visit to Germany
- Published
The Queen and Prince Philip were received by the German president at his official residence in Berlin
The Queen has been welcomed to Germany with a 21-gun salute and the roar of Luftwaffe fighter jets overhead.
Two Eurofighter Typhoon jets had escorted the royal couple's chartered plane to Berlin Tegel airport, as is customary for visiting dignitaries.
On landing, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by Britain's ambassador to Germany, Sir Simon McDonald,
The royals are in the country for a four-day state visit.
The skies brightened briefly just before the Queen's plane touched down and taxied to a strip of red carpet and a waiting guard of honour.
As the Queen left the airport, 15 motorcycle outriders led the way, forming an arrowhead, followed by a British state limousine carrying the royal couple.
During their time in Germany,, external they will attend a state banquet, travel to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and hold a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A 21-gun salute greeted the royal couple at Berlin Tegel airport
A red carpet and waiting guard of honour greeted the Queen as she stepped off the plane
The Queen and Prince Philip are responding to an invitation from German President Joachim Gauck.
They will be received by President Gauck at his official residence, Bellevue Palace, on Wednesday.
Prime Minister David Cameron will join them at a state banquet on Wednesday held in their honour.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend time in Berlin and Frankfurt before travelling to the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by the British 70 years ago.
There they will meet groups of survivors and liberators, and representatives of Jewish and Christian communities.
The Queen and Prince Philip were invited to Germany by German President Joachim Gauck
Police officers escorted the limousine carrying the Queen
This is the Queen's seventh time in Germany.
The Queen's first visit was in 1965 and the last in 2004. In 2000 she opened the new British embassy in Berlin.
She has been on four previous state visits and two official visits.
Mr Gauck, a human-rights campaigner and former East German dissident, became president in March 2012.
Analysis
The royals were welcomed by Sir Simon McDonald, British ambassador to Germany
By Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent
Inside a private chartered plane - escorted by two fighter jets from the Luftwaffe - the Queen touched down in Germany for the seventh time in her reign.
According to Sir Simon McDonald, Britain's ambassador here, the monarch stands for something Germans appreciate - continuity, stability and a sense of duty.
Newspapers in Berlin have advised their readers to not take selfies; to refer to her as Your Majesty; and to consider lilac as a safe colour to wear.
On the tarmac there was a 21-gun salute - the formal ceremonial welcome will be on Wednesday at the German President's palace.
- Published5 January 2015
