BERLIN: Britain’s Charles III will address the German parliament on Thursday, becoming the first monarch to do so, on the occasion of his inaugural state visit as king.

Germany marks the first trip abroad for Charles since ascending the throne, and is being interpreted as a “strong gesture” to build post-Brexit ties with the continent.

Arriving for his three-day trip on Wednesday, he and Queen Consort Camilla were greeted with military honours at the Brandenburg Gate, the first time the iconic site had lent the backdrop for such a ceremony.

Speaking at a state banquet hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Charles hailed the “enduring value” of the UK’s relations with Germany.

The two countries’ joint support for Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s unprovoked aggression epitomised their commitment to “protecting and advancing shared democratic values”, he added.

After the ceremonial pomp marking Wednesday’s arrival, Charles will undertake key political engagements on the second day of his trip.

He will start the day with talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before addressing the Bundestag.

Following the speech, Charles will meet Ukrainian refugees before travelling to neighbouring state Brandenburg where he will speak with a German-British battalion.

A tour of an organic farm is also on the programme with environmental issues, which Charles championed long before he became Britain’s sovereign, featuring prominently in his three-day programme.

Among his first engagements on Wednesday was a reception on sustainability, where he met with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Economy Minister Robert Habeck, both from the Greens party.

On Friday, in the port city of Hamburg, he will tour a renewable energy project.

Charles, who has visited Germany 40 times, has always made sustainable farming a part of his visits to the country.

The monarch’s decades-long commitment to green farming has partly been nurtured by German professor Hardy Vogtmann, a leading voice on organic agriculture who became Charles’ advisor in the 1980s.