Charles did well today in Germany

[Ndd135632]

I never post on this forum. I am not a massive royalist and have been dismayed recently with all the shenanigans. But with all the division going on I so loved listening to Charles speak in Germany today.

Respect that he did so much in German. That is such a warm gesture. He is in Germany so he speaks German. Shame more Brits can’t do the same when abroad. And also lovely to listen to the peace and warmth in his voice.

I am being an optimist and think solidarity and togetherness is the way forwards.

I agree. I actually have more faith in him, unelected as he is, than this government.

Agree with this.

He also seems to take the responsibilities that come with his position more seriously than most in this current Government.

Agree with you both. Sad that it takes an unelected monarch to show the diplomacy we expect from our elected leaders.

I really like him. Its been an horrendous time recently with his DM dying and his son behaving so appallingly. I'm glad he had Camilla. Took a while, but I think she's a very warm person.

Agree! I like Charles a lot.

I am really warming to him, and I have always been a bit iffy about The Royals. He is working an absolute blinder in Germany. Very impressed.

I’m really happy to see any lessening of division whether it’s the PM or King

I really believe you lead a happier more contented life if you try and create accord as opposed to discord. Hopefully Harry will take note. So sad the division and drama there.

The Windsors are originally German. I wonder if the late Queen speak fluent German too or is it just Charles.

The Queen was competent in French, but not German. Prince Philip spoke German and French.

Pity about Camilla, but hopefully she can control herself. And desist from continuing to make the white supremacist hand gesture 🤌🏼 as she did upon arrival in Germany on Wednesday.

eh???

When did that happen? , I've seen nothing about this .

Loved the 'dinner for one' joke.

I've seen Prince Philip being interviewed in German and he was completely fluent. Was German his first language? I like Charles, he seems very diplomatic.

From what I've been able to determine from various accounts, Prince Philip grew up essentially tri-lingual in English, German, and French.

It didn't

@Coxspurplepippin , I was a bit sceptical!

I wonder why?

🤷‍♀️....🤣🤣🤣

And yes, I thought Charles's speech was lovely. Nice to see some UK/Euro rapprochement instead of various UK politicians slagging off the EU and EU politicians trying to be diplomatic in response.

I watched it yesterday on German TV. Yes, it was really very good - it’s also not his first hybrid German-English speech to the Bundestag, and he’s a competent and experienced speaker in any case. A very good German speechwriter wrote it (obviously) and someone coached him through it, that’s just good preparation and it says a lot that he was willing to put so much work in it. He is fairly fluent (as much as you can tell from a script) but his accent and intonation is abysmally posh English. I think the Germans find that quite sweet. I‘ve heard Philip speak German and his accent was much less extreme, but he also had an English accent when he spoke.

@ItsOnlyWordsInnit The Danish queen has an English accent when she speaks Danish!

I don't know German at all, but I watched a video recently of a German person listening to an interview in German with Prince Philip. The German listener remarked on Philip's fluency and that he used several idioms in the way that native German speakers would. I don't remember the listener commenting on Philip's accent, but the overall impression was positive.

The Windsors are originally German.

Well, Queen Victoria was, pretty much, and her husband was. But after that - Danish wife (strong inter-relationships with German princely families, but after the Schleswig-Holstein war of 1864 (?) was passionately anti-Prussian/German, and Edward VII loathed the Prussian German Empire). Then British wife (Mary - German title but born and brought up as British), British wife (Queen Mother), Greek husband (with strong connections to Danish, Russian, British and German RFs).

Would you say that someone whose great-great-grandmother moved to what is now Britain from, say, Ireland in the mid-19th century and who doesn't have any other Irish ancestry was 'originally Irish'?

My Mum has red hair and is from the York area, I think I shall start referring to my family as 'originally Viking' 😂

'My Mum has red hair and is from the York area, I think I shall start referring to my family as 'originally Viking' 😂'

I would so do that.....