There was a time when kings were believed to have healing powers. Is that true?
In Hamburg, King Charles III. (74) something we hardly dare to do ourselves: to honor the civilian victims of World War II.
The bombing of German cities by the Royal Air Force (RAF) between 1943 and 1945 claimed more than 600,000 lives. Before that, German air raids had terrorized cities like London and Coventry.
Charles insisted on a gesture of reconciliation during his state visit. He was the first British monarch to bow to the dead of the night bombings in Hamburg 80 years ago.
After the Second World War, Hamburg lay in ruins
Hamburg 1946
Between July 25 and August 3, 1943, British and American bombers reduced Hamburg to rubble (“Operation Gomorrah”). About 40,000 died in the hail of fire. The target for the bombers was the highest church tower in the city – St. Nikolai.
It’s raining when Charles is pulled up in front of the St. Nikolai memorial in the heart of Hamburg. With a deliberate step, he approaches the memorial together with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (67, SPD) and Hamburg’s Mayor Peter Tschentscher (57, SPD). He listens devoutly to the reconciliation prayer of the Hamburg bishop Kirsten Fehrs (61).
Charles came to the appointment with his wife, Camilla
He bows and lays a wreath. A great, historic moment. Then the hymn “If Ye Love Me” by the English composer Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) sounds, sung by the Hamburg Boys’ Choir.
The London Telegraph: “This state visit marks the beginning of a new era in German-British relations.”
King Charles in front of St. Nikolai Church in Hamburg
