The King will host the first incoming state visit by a German president in 27 years, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier due to stay at Windsor Castle from 3 to 5 December. The visit will come less than three months after the King welcomed United States President Donald Trump to Windsor in September, and it marks the monarch’s third incoming state visit this year after a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in July.

Charles, aged 76, is undergoing cancer treatment but continues to keep a busy schedule. He is also due to travel to Italy later this month for an outgoing state visit to Vatican City to meet the Pope.

Steinmeier, who attended the King and Queen’s coronation two years ago, will be accompanied by his wife, Elke Budenbender, a former judge. A palace spokesperson said the programme would include a ceremonial welcome, a state banquet in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall, and talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Steinmeier addressed the Bundestag in 2023, receiving a standing ovation and saying he wished to ‘renew the pledge of friendship between our nations’. The last incoming German state visit was in 1998 when Queen Elizabeth II hosted President Roman Herzog; it was the first state visit at Windsor Castle since the 1992 fire.