German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier to pay emotional visit to West Midlands cathedral destroyed in Second World War Blitz

The German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, former judge Elke Budenbender, will join the Duke of Kent to lay a wreath at the ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral, which was bombed by the Germans during the Second World War. 

This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz in November 1940 , in which 568 people were killed and 4,300 homes destroyed, along with the Cathedral Church of St Michael.

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The cathedral ruins were deliberately preserved as a lasting memorial to those who died and the site now hosts community events, bringing new life and positivity to a symbol of war.

Mr Steinmeier and Ms Budenbender will tour the new cathedral, which sits alongside the ruins of the old one and was completed in 1962.

They will join a prayer service highlighting the ministry's commitment to peace and reconciliation. 

Coventry is twinned with the German cities of Kiel and Dresden in recognition of the shared experience of devastating bombings during the conflict. The cities hold frequent visits as part of an ongoing relationship built following the war.

The King and Queen will host the German president this week for a state visit, with the format reverting to normal after royal elements of Donald Trump's stay were restricted to the Windsor estate. 

Mr Steinmeier and Ms Budenbender will be formally welcomed by Charles and Camilla on an open air royal dais in the centre of the Berkshire town, before enjoying a carriage ride through the streets, past the crowds, to the castle. 

US president Mr Trump was greeted away from the public at the remote Victoria House in Windsor parkland in September, followed by a carriage procession through the private estate, amid heightened security. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales will play a key role by greeting Mr Steinmeier and Ms Budenbender at Heathrow Airport and accompanying them to Windsor on Wednesday morning at the start of their three-day stay. 

Mr Steinmeier will go on to receive a ceremonial welcome in the castle quadrangle, attended by the King, Camilla, William and Kate, and be feted with a grand state banquet in the historic royal residence's St George's Hall on Wednesday evening. 

On Thursday morning he will privately lay flowers at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II in the castle's St George's Chapel, before joining the King and Queen for a Big Help Out reception to showcase the impact volunteering can have on communities. 

Before a formal farewell, they will be shown the State Sleigh, which was designed by Queen Victoria's German-born husband Prince Albert and recorded in Victoria's diary in 1845. 

The King, who has German ancestry on both sides of his family, speaks German well.  Unusually, the event marks the third incoming state visit hosted by the monarch this year - with Charles also welcoming French President Emmanuel Macron in July. 

The King is still undergoing treatment for cancer but showing no let-up in his busy schedule. He travelled to Germany with Camilla in 2023 for the first state visit since his accession and became the first British monarch to address German politicians during a session of the Bundestag. 

Mr Steinmeier's state visit is the first by a German leader in 27 years. 

He will visit Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday afternoon and join a meeting of UK and German business leaders. 

The UK and Germany signed a new partnership, known as the Kensington Treaty, in July, with Sir Keir pledging the two countries would "work ever more closely". 

The German president will address Parliament on Thursday - something denied to Mr Trump as the House of Commons was not sitting at the time of his trip – before travelling to the West Midlands for the service at Coventry Cathedral, which will conclude the UK visit.