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.

Honestly your reply makes as much sense as some of the others in the Royal Family threads sometimes!

Small handbags and royals do in fact go together

I’m really happy to see any lessening of division whether it’s the PM or King
Same
Nice to see some respectful statesmanship here.

@Kanaloa These days, it’s not that difficult to learn a language. A lot of people have online language tutors, there are language apps and growing up, I remember the Rosetta Stone ads on TV though I don’t know how good it was. Learning a language was compulsory when I was in secondary school so by the time I was in year 13, I was fluent in French. The difference is that I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to use it and I’ve forgotten most of it

But I don’t think you need to be “privileged” to learn a language. You just need the opportunity to learn it and when possible use it. I know some companies encourage their employees to utilise their language skills so they’re always having opportunities to brush up on their German etc. as they can make conversations with their clients etc.

You are the first to scream racism if anyone critics Meghan yet here you are being xenophobic.

That’s a good point. Xenophobia in any shape or form is unacceptable.

Fluent French. Apparently when Macron visited him, their meeting was in French.

I think being incredibly rich and having none of the stresses the rest of us have and having specialised people to write and teach you the speech would probably help significantly though. He is at a significant advantage over the ‘most brits’ op snottily
mentions as not making the effort.

I think it is over simplistic to say that anyone with time and money can learn a language. You need have some aptitude for it. It’s a lot to remember and holding a conversation is not easy unless you have some ability. I am fluent in and teach French and there are definitely some who “get it” and some who really don’t, as well as those who improve with practice

I mean that’s not what I said. I said being incredibly rich and privileged and having none of the daily stresses most people have is a huge huge advantage compared to other people. Of course some people will be coming home from a 12 hour shift and worrying about how they’ll pay rent and bills before logging onto duolingo and spending an hour studying German. But they will find it significantly harder than somebody with few responsibilities, a top notch education, and extreme wealth.

Ok but you implied that this was the reason the King can speak fluent German and I don’t agree. You need aptitude as well. I originally learnt French at school and I find it easy and always have. I am lucky in that respect. Many of my students really struggle, and no amount of time and money will ever remedy this.

But he didn’t HAVE to say anything in German but he chose to. Total respect!

I think that’s the point here. And I’m no monarchist (and the mum of Dutch/German dc raised mostly in uk)

I'm in awe of anybody who speaks different languages! , my own school, French and Spanish are a disgrace 😳

I'm thinking he learned German from his father and grandmother who were fluent German speakers. And like most of us of a certain age, he learned French at school. Some of us then never speak French again and some love it and go on to use it when they can. I speak French quite well. Noone would ever refer to me as incredibly rich with no stress.

From your posts, I don't think the op has cornered the market on being snotty. 🙄

I agree. The arguing about whether or not it was 'easy' for Charles to speak German is a bit silly.

The point is that it was a gesture which seemed to go down very well with the German public and political class. In fact, the whole visit seems to have been a great success. At a time when relations between Britain and its European neighbours haven't been that great, to say the least, surely this is a good thing?

Yep @IcedPurple , I think this is the real value of the royal family, they transcend politics and forge relationships with other countries without the red tape and sniping you do often find politicians getting into .

He spoke Welsh at his investiture when young and that is way more difficult.

Really @Georgiepud , that's impressive 👍

Yes, I can't imagine crowds lining the streets of Hamburg on a wet day to see the President of the United Kingdom. How many people outside of Germany could name that country's president, or even know that he exists? But almost everyone knows who Charles is.

There are strong arguments against monarchy, of course. But I think the viist to Germany showed the sort of 'soft power' that it can bring.

Yes I totally agree @IcedPurple , I'm not totally for the monarchy but they certainly do have more plus's than we give them credit for , this is definitely a plus!

The King did a wonderful job, Queen Camilla too. I'm proud they represent our country. The king is genuinely at ease with the crowds and clearly very personable (who can imagine most of the presidents or PMs of the world picking up that man's yellow hat, for instance?) and warm, far more so than the media and certain Netflix shows like to portray...

I was pleasantly surprised by how rapturously they were received, though upon reflection, perhaps I shouldn't have been - there seems to be a lot of German fondness for facets of our culture. I've heard that Monty Python and even the German visitors episode of Fawlty Towers are popular over there, for instance!

Jeez, someone ought to start a gofundme collection to fund that shoulder reconstruction surgery you so clearly need..

The royals are often criticized for their academic results so it's unusual to read about them doing something well. Google tells me that Charles achieved A-level French grade C. Maybe he took up German later ?

I think he learned German at home from his father and half German grandmother.

I very much doubt that either would have spoken any language other than English with Charles.