- Written by Sean Coughlan
- Royal Correspondent in Hamburg
King Charles visits a memorial to the 34,000 killed in a series of wartime air raids on Hamburg
King Charles, during his state visit to Germany, laid a wreath in memory of those who died in the Allied bombing of Hamburg in World War II.
He was at a moving service held in the ruins of St. Nicholas Church, which has been preserved as a memorial to the air raids.
A choir sang and there were readings in the remains of the 19th century church.
The king’s speech to the German parliament on Thursday spoke of reconciliation after wartime divisions.
This included a reference to “remembering those who died in the Allied bombing of Hamburg in 1943”.
And on Friday, under drizzling rain and gloomy skies, the King paid his respects at Saint Nicholas, which commemorates the series of heavy air raids on the city that began in July 1943.
A display at the site notes that 34,000 people were killed in the massive bombing and ensuing firestorm, carried out by the US and British air forces 80 years ago.
There was also a description of prisoners from a Nazi concentration camp who were forced to carry out rescue and purge operations after the raids.
It was raining on a roofless church in Hamburg
King Charles laid a black and red wreath with the inscription “In memory of eternity” and Queen Camilla laid a white rose on the stairs beside her.
They were accompanied by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on a state visit that has sought recognition of the past but is committed to a stronger future partnership.
The roofless church is now just a skeleton of its former self, but was designed by the English architect, George Gilbert Scott.
The same architect designed the Albert Memorial in London, built in honor of the grandfather of the German king, Prince Albert.
But the high Gothic steeple was used as a navigational aid for bomber pilots and much of the church was destroyed.
The readings at St. Nicholas spoke of setting aside grievances and avoiding the “hatred that separates nations from nations”.
As with other parts of the state visit, there was tight security, with a police helicopter hovering overhead as the choir sang.
The royal couple traveled by train from Berlin to Hamburg – and upon arrival visited the Kindertransport memorial, where thousands of Jewish children were rescued from the Nazis and taken as refugees to Britain.
King Charles met some of the crowd outside the Hamburg City Hall
There was also a visit to the Hamburg City Council and an event where the king heard about efforts to develop green technologies.
It was the last day of a three-day state visit to Germany, the first under King Charles.
In his speeches and events he delivered the message of the need to strengthen relations between Britain and Germany, in the face of common challenges such as the war in Ukraine and tackling climate change.
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