Quinn gave her horses for €60,000 when she visited Germany

Your own toilet seat, fine toilet paper, fine whiskey and your favorite mineral water: all of this, along with two Scottish Highland boards, must have been part of the classic travel gear of Britain’s King Charles III. belongs to. At least if you believe the book “The Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion, and Defiance of Prince Charles,” which was written a few years ago by British investigative journalist Tom Power.

He may have appropriated his late mother’s habits: according to a media report, previously kept secret documents reveal efforts for Queen Elizabeth II’s visits to Germany. According to information released on Monday, “Spiegel” magazine was able to view thousands of papers from these files. These included notes of the Queen’s meetings with German chiefs and chancellors, letters from the Queen and her advisors, and protocol documents.

During an official visit in May 1978, for example, Elizabeth II had clear thoughts about her gift. According to the report, she asked German Federal President Walter Scheele, who was in office from 1974 to 1979, for two horses — a Holsteiner, “not too light, certainly not too dark,” and the gray, “if possible white, certainly not dirty grey.” .”.

The German federal government granted her wish and bought the animals for around €60,000. According to “Spiegel”, no head of state has ever received such a valuable gift. The expensive gift later led to “significant objections” from the Federal Audit Office.

As reported by the magazine, the documents also document the behind-the-scenes scramble. Elizabeth II had planned to address the Bundestag during her visit in October 1992. However, the performance was cancelled. The decision was up to the Bundestag, it was said at the time. German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (CDU) “will not interfere.”

According to the report, a document now shows that this was not true: in a letter from a department head to Kohl regarding the Queen’s request, the head of the Chancellery Friedrich Böll wrote in his own handwriting that Kohl had spoken out against the Queen’s decision. Speech: “BK: No!” This week – more than 30 years later – he is now said to be with Charles III. A British monarch speaks for the first time before the German parliament. The King pays a state visit to the Federal Republic from Wednesday to Friday.