The King and Queen's state visit to Germany – day 1

On Wednesday 5 October, The King and Queen began their four-day state visit to Germany. They were accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström, Minister for Children, the Elderly and Gender Equality Åsa Regnér, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg and a business delegation.

10:15 The King and Queen were met at Berlin's Tegel Airport, eight kilometres northwest of central Berlin, by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Head of Protocol Jürgen Christian Mertens and Sweden's ambassador to Germany Lars Danielsson. During the ceremony, the guard of honour paraded and a twenty-one gun salute was fired.

10:22 The cortège left the airport for Bellevue Palace. There, The King and Queen were welcomed by President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck and Mrs Daniela Schadt during a reception ceremony at Bellevue Palace.

Bellevue Palace is located in central Berlin in the western section of the Tiergarten, next to the River Spree, and is the main residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. The white palace was commissioned by Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, the brother of Queen Lovisa Ulrika of Sweden and King Frederick II of Prussia, and was completed in 1786. Much of the palace was destroyed during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War, but was rebuilt after the war. In 1994, the then President of the Federal Republic of Germany Richard von Weizsäcker relocated the main presidential office to Bellevue Palace.

» Find out more about Bellevue Palace

11:00 The King and Queen were welcomed by President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck and Mrs Daniela Schadt at Bellevue Palace. The King and Queen signed the guest book and the guard of honour was inspected.

Following the inspection of the guard of honour, The King and Queen and the Presidential couple met German and Swedish schoolchildren who had gathered at Bellevue Palace.

Gifts were exchanged in the President's reception room.

11:20 A meeting was held between The King and Queen, President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck, Mrs Daniela Schadt, Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström and Sweden's ambassador Lars Danielsson. The meeting dealt with subjects including joint issues such as the current situation in Europe.

14:37 The King and Queen were welcomed by Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller at the Brandenburg Gate, after which they walked through the gate to Pariser Platz.

Since 1990, the Brandenburg Gate has symbolised the unification of Germany and Europe, and walking through the gate is an important part of the city of Berlin's programme for incoming state visits. The Brandenburg Gate was built in 1788-91 under King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace to symbolise Prussia's successes.

14:52 The King and Queen arrived at the Neue Wache, Germany's central memorial to the victims of war and dictatorship, for a wreath-laying ceremony.

15:10 The King and Queen visited the Humboldt Forum, where they were welcomed by Neil MacGregor. The Humboldt Forum will be a contemporary meeting place for the cultures of the world. Neil MacGregor, a British art historian and until recently Director of the British Museum in London, has been appointed as its Head Curator.

Berlin City Palace traces its roots back to a 15th century castle. It was largely destroyed during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War and completely demolished under the East German regime, which replaced it with a parliament building. This in turn was demolished in 2008, and the construction of the Humboldt Forum began in 2012. The Humboldt Forum is expected to be completed in 2018. The building will resemble Berlin City Palace in terms of its size, its roof design, its cupola and its façade, which combines baroque and modern elements.

» Find out more about the Humboldt Forum

16.00 Kungaparet besöker förbundsdagen och välkomnas av förbundsdagens vice talman Ulla Schmidt. Nicole Sonne, förbundsdagens besökstjänst, guidar genom byggnaden med fokus på plenarsalen, andaktsrummet och ledamöternas lobby.

Förbundsdagen har sedan 1999 sitt säte i den gamla riksdagsbyggnaden på Platz der Republik. Byggnaden uppfördes 1884-94 i nyrenässansstil och utgjorde först säte för kejsardömets och därefter Weimarrepublikens parlament. Kort efter Hitlers maktövertagande 1933 sattes byggnaden i brand och den tyska konstitutionen sattes ur spel. Under andra världskriget skadades byggnaden svårt och återställdes först under 1960-talet i moderniserad form. Efter förbundsdagens beslut 1991 att flytta parlamentet från Bonn till Berlin genomgick byggnaden en omfattande renovering och modernisering utifrån kriterierna transparens, överskådlighet och föredömlig energiteknik.

17:00 The King and Queen were received by Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel at her office. The King and Queen then held discussions with Angela Merkel and Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström.

19:30 The President's state banquet for The King and Queen at Bellevue Palace began.

20:07 President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck gave a speech, in which he said: "For many Germans, Sweden has become a place that we long for, and that fascinates and stimulates. As the writer Kurt Tucholsky once observed: 'There is no normal German brain that has anything other than pleasant, friendly and good thoughts when thinking of Sweden.' Today, we might think of the Nobel Prize, children's literature and detective novels, pop music and design, as well as innovative businesses and welfare, tolerance and a culture of understanding."

The King then gave a speech, in which he said: "The Queen and I would like to thank you and the people of Germany for the warm welcome we have received today, and for your kind words. In recent times, Europe has faced many major challenges. It is in difficult times that our unity is put to the test. We can note that Germany and Sweden belong to the small group of nations that have received a large proportion of the people fleeing from war and destruction close to Europe's borders. Now, integration policy is the next great social challenge. I believe that Germany and Sweden have a great deal of experience to share in this respect."