The Moment
The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped into full soft-power mode, welcoming German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, judge Elke Budenbender, as the United Kingdom rolled out the red carpet for a German state visit.
Think uniforms, carriages, bands, and the kind of military precision that makes you instinctively straighten your posture on the couch. The couple were front and center as Germany s head of state arrived, in what British coverage has described as the first full German state visit to the UK in decades.
On paper, it s all protocol: greetings, inspection of the Guard of Honour, official photos, and the start of a tightly choreographed schedule. In reality, every frame is doing double duty for diplomacy and for the long-running Who s Really Running the Royal Show? conversation.
The Take
I ll say it bluntly: this isn t just about Germany. It s about succession not legally, but visually.
Every time William and Catherine front a major state visit, the monarchy is basically airing a pilot episode for the next reign. You invite a foreign leader, but the guest of honor is really the brand of Future King and Queen.
Notice the pattern. We saw it when they helped host the South Korean state visit in 2023, complete with tiaras and banquet speeches. Now, with Germany s president in the mix, they re again the most bankable faces on the palace balcony. The King is still the monarch, but the Waleses are the ones doing the relatable PR heavy lifting.
For Germany, the symbolism is straightforward: a reset-and-refresh moment after years of Brexit drama. For Britain, it s: please ignore the constitutional law textbooks and look at this photogenic couple who make the monarchy look like it still has a plan.
If the modern monarchy is a long-running TV drama, this kind of visit is a season premiere: same institution, slightly updated cast focus, huge production budget. And William and Catherine are being framed as the show s leads, not the supporting act.
Receipts
Confirmed
- The Federal President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, serves as Germany s head of state and undertakes ceremonial state visits abroad, according to the Office of the Federal President.
- The UK routinely hosts incoming state visits with full ceremonial welcomes, including inspection of a Guard of Honour, carriage processions, and a state banquet, as laid out on the official Royal Family website s explainer on state visits.
- The Prince and Princess of Wales have played prominent roles in recent state visits, including the South Korean state visit to the UK in November 2023, documented in official palace photos and widely covered by British broadcast news.
- Images and video clips circulating on UK television and social media show President Steinmeier and his wife being greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales as part of a formal German-focused visit program.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his wife Elke Budenbender and the Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive at Datchet Road, during Steinmeier’s state visit to Britain on December 3, 2025 in Windsor, England.
The Horseguards ‼️🙌 pic.twitter.com/NR25kc9KiT
— jen (@JenCarsonTaylor) December 3, 2025
Unverified / Framed As Commentary
- Any claim that this specific visit is a deliberate test run for William s future reign is interpretation, not something the palace has stated on the record.
- Speculation about private tensions, rivalries, or personal feelings between senior royals around who fronted the visit remains just that speculation. No credible, on-record sources have confirmed behind-the-scenes drama.
Sources: Royal Family official website (state visits overview and past visit coverage, accessed 2024); Office of the Federal President of Germany (role of the president and information on international visits, 20232024); British broadcast news reports and official photography of recent state visits, including the 2023 South Korean visit.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
Quick refresher. In Germany, the Federal President is the head of state a largely ceremonial, unifying role while the chancellor runs the government. In the UK, the monarch fills a similar ceremonial slot, with the prime minister in charge of day-to-day politics.
A state visit is the highest level of official visit between two countries. It usually includes a ceremonial welcome, a state banquet, speeches highlighting shared history (the nice parts, not the messy bits), and a tour program that screams, We value this relationship.
UKGerman relations have done the full soap-opera arc: from World War II enemies to EU partners, then to that awkward post-Brexit we still like you, just not your club phase. These visits are one way both sides reassure each other and the world that the relationship is still serious, even if the politics are complicated.
What s Next
For this visit, the likely beats are predictable but important: a glittering state banquet with speeches heavy on shared values, cultural events highlighting everything from science to the arts, and plenty of carefully staged moments for cameras.
What I m watching isn t whether the speeches are moving (they rarely are). It s how often William and Catherine are placed front and center, and how much the palace leans on their star power versus the King s gravitas.
Expect more of this division of labor: the monarch as the constitutional anchor, the Waleses as the glossy front-of-house. Every red-carpet handshake with a foreign leader primes global audiences to see them not as the understudies, but as the next headliners.
And for Germany and the UK, the real test comes after the carriages roll away: whether this show of warmth turns into concrete cooperation on trade, security, and culture, or just another pretty scrapbook of tiaras and toasts.
So, when you look at those photos of William and Catherine greeting President Steinmeier, ask yourself: Are we watching a diplomatic courtesy, or a sneak peek at the monarchy s future marketing strategy?
Your turn: When you see the Waleses fronting these big state visits, do you find the modern monarchy more reassuring, or does it all just feel like well-produced theater?
Comments