Queen and Prince Philip meet German President Gauck

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh have met Germany's president as part of a four-day state visit to the country.

The 89-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip, 94, were greeted at Berlin's Bellevue Palace by German head of state President Joachim Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt.

Following the meeting, the royals waved at crowds during an open-topped boat ride along the River Spree.

The pair then met German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

During the meeting with President Gauck, he presented the Queen, who arrived in the country on Tuesday, with a painting by artist Nicole Leidenfrost.

'Guard of honour'

The picture shows a young Princess Elizabeth II riding a blue-coloured pony with the Queen's father George VI, also in the image holding the animal's reins.

On seeing the painting the Queen is reported to have said: "That's a funny colour for a horse."

The monarch then walked across the palace grounds with President Gauck to watch a military guard of honour.

A band played "God Save the Queen" as well as the German national anthem.

After their boat trip the Queen and the duke met Chancellor Angela Merkel and chatted about the former course of the Berlin Wall while walking through the German chancellery building.

As they arrived on a terrace Ms Merkel is reported to have told the Queen: "And where the train goes there, there was the wall... and I lived in East Germany, just a few hundred metres behind these railways."

The Queen and Chancellor Angela Merkel talked about the former course of the Berlin wall

Before the Queen met President Gauck she was welcomed with a 21-gun salute on Tuesday

A painting presented to her was produced from a photograph taken in 1935

The royals along with President Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt took a boat ride on their way to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel

The Queen and Prince Philip last made a state visit to Germany in November 2004

Later on Wednesday the royals will also attend a state banquet, where they will be joined by Prime Minister David Cameron.

During their time in Germany, the Queen is also scheduled to visit the financial sector of Frankfurt on Thursday, and on Friday she will travel to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by British soldiers 70 years ago.

This is the Queen's seventh time in Germany. Her first visit was in 1965 and the last in 2004.

In 2000 she opened the new British embassy in Berlin.