King Charles celebrates ties between UK and Germany

King Charles III began the second day of his state visit to Germany with a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz before visiting a local market.

Then, he became the first British monarch to address the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament.

In a warmly-received speech delivered in German and English, the King thanked the German people for their wishes after the Queen died and highlighted his own connections with and affection for Germany.

He received a standing ovation from the assembled MPs as he finished his speech on a note of optimism, urging Britain and Germany to fill the next chapters of their relationship "with the restless pursuit of a better tomorrow".

He then met Ukrainian refugees who have received shelter in Germany and this afternoon will visit a joint UK/German military unit in Brandenburg. He and his wife Camilla will end the day at an organic farm.

And tomorrow, the royal couple set off for Hamburg to tour a renewable energy project. This will be followed by a commemoration of the victims of 1943 air raids over the city.

It's been a busy day in Germany for King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort.

Not only did he make history by becoming the first British monarch to address the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, he also met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and paid a visit to a local market

Here's a selection of images from Berlin:

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The King's address to the Bundestag earlier made a number of references to the cultural ties between the UK and Germany, including to the "astonishing music" of composer George Frideric Handel.

Handel's anthem Zadok the Priest has been performed at every coronation since that of George II in 1727 and will be part of the ceremony again when Charles is crowned in May.

The King said Handel was "born a German and died British" and that he was one of many people who "throughout the centuries... have travelled back and forth between our lands".

Born in 1685, Handel grew up and trained in Germany before moving to London in 1712, later becoming a naturalised British citizen.

The Mayfair house he lived in from 1723 to 1759 is next door to one occupied more than 200 years later by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, with both homes now preserved as part of the Handel & Hendrix museum.

Read more about what to expect from the King's coronation here.

The King’s speech to the Bundestag had a strong theme of reconciliation – including a recognition of those who had died during Allied bombing raids on Germany during World War Two.

He also spoke of the "solemn remembrance" of the "Kindertransport", in which thousands of Jewish children were rescued from Nazi Germany and brought to Britain as refugees.

But he said the "scourge of war is back in Europe" and with it the plight of refugees – and the trip has also highlighted the importance given by Germany to more than a million refugees.

After the Bundestag speech, the King visited a centre supporting Ukrainian refugees as they arrived and Camilla the Queen Consort went to a project helping those who were now living here.

The treatment of refugees and the response to the war in Ukraine is a massive challenge facing modern Europe and an issue which this royal trip has focused on repeatedly.

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After his speech, King Charles had the chance to meet Ukrainian refugees at an arrival centre, with temporary accommodation, at a former airport in Berlin.

The King has already praised Germany's "extraordinary hospitality" towards people fleeing the war in Ukraine – more than a million have arrived in the country since the start of the conflict.

In his speech a little earlier, Charles referred to the "scourge of war" returning to Europe with the invasion of Ukraine. He said Germany and the UK had shown "vital leadership" as two of the largest donors to Ukraine.

King Charles praised the cultural connections between the UK and Germany, in one of the light moments of his speech.

He said the two countries had laughed at each other and with each other for the last 50 years as "old friends".

The King also referred to the quirks of each nation and referenced the German tradition of screening a skit called Dinner for One every New Year's Eve.

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The King has now wrapped up his address to the Bundestag.

• In the speech, the King said he could "hardly begin to express the pride I feel" at the relations between the UK and Germany and that he hoped to "renew the pledge of friendship between our nations"
• He spoke warmly of the cultural ties between the two countries, noting that the first Shakespeare association was established not in England, but in Weimar, and that the music of George Frideric Handel will be played at his coronation in May
• The King thanked the German people for their "extraordinary kindness" following the death of the Queen last September
• He also hailed the "vital leadership" the two countries have shown since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said they were standing "in defence of freedom and sovereignty"
• He closed by saying that "in the long and remarkable story of our two countries, there are many chapters yet unwritten. Let us fill these with the restless pursuit of a better tomorrow"

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King Charles received a standing ovation from the German Bundestag.

The parliamentarians warmed to a speech that was mostly delivered in German.

There were messages of reconciliation after wartime divisions and calls for unity over Ukraine and climate change.

His audience enjoyed this Anglo-German bonding session, in an historic moment both for King and his German hosts.

And there were also wry cultural references to electronic pop band Kraftwerk, comedian Henning Wehn and Monty Python.

Near the beginning of his speech King Charles thanked the German people for their "extraordinary kindness" following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking in German, he said his family were "deeply touched" by the thousands of messages written in condolence books across the country.

You can watch a clip above.

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The King finishes by talking about the future of German-British relations, saying that "heeding the lessons of the past is our sacred responsibility" and urges everyone to be "vigiliant against threats to our values".

"In the long and remarkable story of our countries, there are many chapters not yet written. Let us fill these with the restless pursuit of a better tomorrow," the King says.

He adds that the "great promise of our future demand nothing less".

He gets a standing ovation as he steps off the stage.

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The King says that "faced with so many shared challenges, the United Kingdom and Germany are together providing leadership to secure our shared future".

He says the two countries are Europe's largest producers of power from offshore wind and that their renewable energy industries will be "vital in combating the existential challenges of climate change".

Among the King's 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, he is due to tour a renewable energy project in the port city of Hamburg.

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It seems the King is genuinely enjoying speaking at the Bundestag - he continues to switch seamlessly between English and German.

He talks humorously about the "encounters between Germany and England on the football pitch", and even mentions the victory of the English women's football team against their German counterparts in the Euros last summer.

The King elicited a few laughs and applause from the audience of MPs by saying that millions of British people come to admire Berlin's "vibrant culture and nightlife".

More recent generations "may think more readily about the Beatles or Kraftwerk" as they do Brahms or Byron, he said "but the web of cultural connections is as strong as ever."

"And for the last 50 years we have laughed together - both at each other, and with each other," he says. There is a lot of laughter from the audience - it's all very good-natured.

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The King says that, since he last spoke in the Bundestag, the scourge of war has returned to Europe.

"The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has inflicted the most unimaginable suffering on so many innocent people," he says.

"Countless lives have been destroyed, freedom and human dignity have been trampled in the most brutal way [and] the security of Europe has been threatened".

He adds that the world has "not merely stood by" and that "we can take heart from our unity".

"Germany and the United Kingdom have shown vital leadership," he says. "As Europe's two largest donors to Ukraine, we have responded decisively. We have taken decisions that might previously have seemed unimaginable."

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"I can hardly begin to express the pride I feel" at the relations between the UK and Germany, the King says.

The King says he came to Germany for the first time when he was 13 and has since grown familiar with many corners of "this remarkable land".

He says he has "cherished family relationships" in Germany. He then goes on to talk about the "points of connection" in the story of British-German relations.

King Charles is now switching between English and German for his speech.

He talks about the 1965 visit to what was then West Germany by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth. He says the visit proved to be a "pivotal moment" in the relations between the UK and Germany at a time when the shadow of World War Two was still hovering over Europe.

He also thanks the German people for the support and "extraordinary kindness" his family received when the Queen died last September.

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The King has started his address, speaking in German.

He says it is a "great honour" to be in Berlin: "It means a great deal to both my wife and myself that we've been invited to Germany on my first-ever overseas tour, and it is a particular honour to be here with you where I wish to renew the pledge of friendship between our nations."

This is met with sustained applause by the MPs.

King Charles has approached the lectern and is about to start his address.

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The King is now in the main chamber of the Bundestag and is being welcomed by Bärbel Bas, the president of the parliament.

Bas welcomes both the British and German officials in attendance and says "the presence of so many eminent guests underlines the importance of German-British relations".

She describes the King as a representative of one of the "oldest democracies in the world" and hails the "long shared history of our two countries".

Bas goes on to recap the history of German-British relations, saying Britain made a "major, indispensable contribution to liberating Europe from national socialism" and that for this we are "profoundly grateful".