The King and Queen were warmly thanked for hosting an “unbelievable” state banquet in honour of the German president and his wife, as their royal hosts bid them farewell.
Charles and Camilla hosted Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Elke Budenbender at Windsor Castle, to mark their three-day state visit to the UK, and held a lavish dinner in their honour on Wednesday.
The two couples posed for a picture as they said their goodbyes, and the president turned to the King and said: “You were so generous, inviting us, the staying of the night – we had a good breakfast and a wonderful banquet yesterday.”
His wife added: “It was really so wonderful – unbelievable,” and the president echoed her thoughts, saying: “We will never forget it.”
Held in the castle’s imposing St George’s Hall, the white-tie banquet featured many representatives from Germany’s business, cultural and sporting contributors to UK life, from supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her filmmaker husband Sir Matthew Vaughn, to movie-score composer Hans Zimmer and Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse.
Guests dined on hot smoked trout with langoustines, Windsor partridge and baked Alaska with blackberry, vanilla and raspberry ice creams, washed down with fine wines.
As the Queen and president’s wife said their goodbyes and kissed each other, Ms Budenbender said: “It was so wonderful, all the best.”
Camilla replied “Hopefully see you again before too long – really lovely to see you again,” and she looked over to the president and said: “I hope we’ll meet again.”
As he began to walk towards his car, the president turned and said to his hosts “Happy Christmas”, and was waved off by the King and Queen.
Earlier the royal couple got into the festive spirit when they showed the German president and his wife Queen Victoria’s winter wonderland sleigh.
Ms Elke Budenbender exclaimed “wow” when she saw it, touching the vivid red upholstery as they were told about the history of the sleigh, designed by Prince Albert in 1842 as a gift for his wife and restored six years ago.
A large group of charities, many with royal connections, also gathered at Windsor Castle to showcase their work for the president and their royal hosts.
One, Citizen Hub, asked both heads of state and their wives to play a large game of snakes and ladders, rolling a foam dice and answering a question depending on which square they landed on.
The Queen, asked about when she had helped someone, said she hoped she had helped victims of domestic violence through her campaign work, adding “I hope I have”, several times.
The King politely declined to answer a question about when he had faced a challenge and how he might have done it differently, pointing to members of the press listening in.
And all four drew around their hands to create paper handprints, a symbolic representation of “lending a hand” by volunteers, at a stand manned by Scouts.
