The royal wiedersehen: Angela Merkel meets the Queen at Windsor Castle in their final official meeting before the German chancellor steps down after 16 years in power
- Mrs Merkel went to Windsor Castle for an audience with the monarch
- It was the second time they have met within a few weeks in England.
- They were seen together at the G7 summit in Cornwall last month
The Queen had an audience with Angela Merkel today as the German chancellor continued her valedictory visit to Britain.
Mrs Merkel went to Windsor Castle for a last official audience with the monarch after talks with Boris Johnson at Chequers.
It was the second time they have met within a few weeks, after they were seen together at the G7 summit in Cornwall last month.
The chancellor is preparing to hand over power after almost 16 years in the autumn and is making a series of farewell trips.
She and the Queen posed for the cameras this afternoon, with her majesty telling the German leader they were ‘making history’.
Mrs Merkel went to Windsor Castle for an audience with the monarch after talks with Boris Johnson at Chequers.
She and the Queen were pictured apparently sharing a joke as they posed for pictures this afternoon.
It was the second time they have met within a few weeks, after they were seen together at the G7 summit in Cornwall last month.
Mrs Merkel today backed down in a row over travel rules as she said in the ‘foreseeable future’ fully-vaccinated Brits will be able to visit Germany without having to quarantine.
Speaking alongside Boris Johnson at a press conference at Chequers, Mrs Merkel said Germany is ‘reviewing continuously’ its travel restrictions.
At the moment all UK travellers have to self-isolate on arrival in Germany for 14 days, with no exemptions.
But Mrs Merkel said that soon double-jabbed people ‘will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine’.
Mrs Merkel last month had urged all EU member states to adopt Germany’s hardline approach to border rules.
Her comments today, following bilateral talks with Mr Johnson on the subject, pave the way for quarantine-free travel to open up across Europe in a massive boost for British holidaymakers.
Meanwhile, Mrs Merkel also congratulated the England football team and wished the nation luck after it beat Germany in the last 16 of the Euro 2020 tournament.
She said England ‘deserved’ to win the match on Tuesday but she admitted she was ‘a little bit saddened’ by the 2-0 defeat.
2019: The Queen meets leaders including Mrs Merkel during a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate 70 years of Nato
2015: The chancellor greets the Queen at the Chancellery in Berlin during a three-day state visit to Germany
2014: The chancellor and the monarch during an audience at Buckingham Palace
2009: Mrs Merkel talks with the Queen at a reception for world leaders attending the G20 summit at Buckingham Palace
However, she expressed ‘grave concern’ over the number of fans allowed to attend games at Wembley Stadium but Mr Johnson said matches were going ahead in a ‘very careful and controlled manner’.
Meanwhile, both leaders expressed optimism over the UK and the EU being able to solve post-Brexit problems relating to the Northern Ireland Protocol as Mrs Merkel said she believes ‘pragmatic solutions’ are possible.
Mrs Merkel had urged the EU to adopt a continent-wide, hardline approach to quarantine to stop the spread of the ‘Delta’ variant which has taken hold in the UK.
But this afternoon she announced a major shift in policy as she said: ‘We have adopted certain protective measures when we were not as yet so familiar with the Delta variant.
‘We now see that the share of the Delta variant in Germany is increasing very rapidly.
‘As you know we are reviewing continuously our travel restrictions and we think that in a foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will then according to our classification, and now Britain obviously is a high incidence area, will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine.’
Mr Johnson, who yesterday said that he believes double jabs will be a ‘liberator’ for international travel, welcomed the decision.
He said: ‘You will have heard what Chancellor Merkel just said about the German process and where they are on double jabs and I think that is great and that is right.
‘It sounds as though progress is being made.’