LONDON – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to receive a grand reception on Wednesday, complete with brass bands and royal honors, as he begins a state visit to the United Kingdom. This visit aims to celebrate the strong ties between the two nations while also reflecting on their shared history.

King Charles III will officially welcome President Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, to Windsor Castle. This marks the beginning of a three-day visit filled with the traditional pomp and ceremony that the U.K. reserves for its distinguished guests. Notably, this occasion is historic as Steinmeier is the first German president to undertake a formal state visit to the U.K. in 27 years.

The visit will also include a poignant moment on Friday when the couple visits Coventry Cathedral. This visit aims to honor the victims of the Nazi bombing on November 14, 1940, which resulted in the deaths of at least 568 people and severely damaged or destroyed more than half the city’s homes. This attack stands as the most intense assault on a British city during World War II.

Germany has repeatedly expressed regret over the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. During his own state visit to Germany in 2023, King Charles paid tribute to those affected by the war by laying a wreath at the ruins of St. Nikolai Church in Hamburg, remembering the over 30,000 lives lost during the Allied bombing of the city in July 1943.

“This visit comes at a significant moment in the history of both Britain and Germany, and it’s clear that both countries value the inclusion of these historical reflections as part of the state visit,” commented Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.

While state visits are hosted by the king, they are scheduled at the request of the elected government to reward friends — and sometimes nudge reluctant partners — with the red carpet treatment only Britain’s royal family can provide.

So there will be the glittering tiaras, displays of military precision and a sumptuous banquet served on 200-year-old silver. There’s also a huge Christmas tree in St. George’s Hall.

But it’s a spectacle with a purpose. Britain and Germany are seeking to underscore the bonds between the two countries as they face the challenges of the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s America First policies, which threaten to upend longstanding trade and security relationships.

The trip will build on the success of Charles’ state visit to Germany, when he displayed an ability to properly roll his R’s while flipping between German and English in a speech to the Bundestag, the German parliament.

Making his first state visit since ascending the throne, Charles stressed the long-standing ties between the two countries and the importance of future cooperation.

British officials hope those ties will be cemented by coverage of the glittering events at Windsor Castle.

“It will produce wonderful pictures and these will be seen as symbols for the British public and the German public,’’ said Gerhard Dannemann, former head of the Centre for British Studies at Humboldt Universität in Berlin. “And the hope is that …the German president can emulate,” what Charles did in 2023.