Latest: King Charles salutes 'special bond' as he delivers historic speech in German
During a state visit to Germany in 1978, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II asked for a gift of two expensive horses, weekly Der Spiegel reported Monday.
The Holsteiner and the gray Elizabeth she asked for cost more than any other offering made to a visiting head of state since the end of the Second World War.
The request reportedly raised eyebrows among German bureaucrats at the time.
Germany's-president, Walter Scheel, approved the gift in the interests of good bilateral relations, Der Spiegel reported, quoting previously confidential archive papers.
The papers also noted the late monarch's aperitif preferences — gin and tonic — and dislike of helicopters.
Records showed that the British embassy had concerns about possible protests if the queen visited Dresden during her trip in 1992.
In the end she did attend a church service and was largely welcomed by locals in the city that was flattened by Allied bombing raids during the war, Der Spiegel reported.
Another sensitive issue during the trip was the question of whether the queen would make a speech at the Bundestag.
The queen with horses throughout the years - in pictures
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Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Berkshire in May 2011. The queen, who had a lifelong passion for horses, was a keen racegoer as well as a successful owner and breeder who enjoyed many notable triumphs. AFP -
An undated photo of Princess Elizabeth at Sandringham. AFP -
The queen in May 2013 with Harlequin on a visit to the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery at Woolwich Barracks in south-east London. AFP -
A young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in the park at Windsor Castle. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth in May 2020 rides Balmoral Fern, a 14-year-old fell pony, in Windsor Home Park. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth at Ascot in an event reserved for guests of Windsor Castle, June 1961. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth at the Royal Horse Show in Windsor, Berkshire in May 2008. Horses, like dogs, were the queen's lifelong love and she had an incredible knowledge of breeding and bloodlines. Whether it was racing thoroughbreds or ponies, she showed an unfailing interest. PA Photo -
Former US president Ronald Reagan with Queen Elizabeth in Windsor Home Park while staying as a guest of the queen. PA Photo -
Queen Elizabeth and her daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, near Windsor Castle where members of the royal family had gathered to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who died in 2002. PA Photo -
Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, left, with a Lippizaner at the stables of the Lipica Stud during their state visit to Slovenia in January 2008. PA -
Queen Elizabeth on the racecourse before the opening of the third day of the Royal Ascot meeting, where she took part in an unofficial 'race' and finished fourth to other members of her party of seven. June 1960. PA -
Queen Elizabeth in Hyde Park, London, during a visit in 1970 to mark the 70th anniversary of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery. PA -
Queen Elizabeth during a Trooping of the Colour ceremony at Horse Guard's Parade, London, June 1952. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth arriving in Hyde Park in London to mark the 70th anniversary of the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in October 2017. PA -
Queen Elizabeth riding side-saddle as she returns to Buckingham Palace, London, after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade in June 1993. PA
Der Spiegel reported that it was chancellor Helmut Kohl who raised objections, possibly because of his lingering anger at Britain's efforts to block German reunification a few years earlier.
In total, Queen Elizabeth made five state visits to Germany, most recently in 2015, although only files older than 30 years were released.
The report comes days before Elizabeth's son, King Charles III, makes his first state visit to Germany.
The monarch was originally meant to visit France first, but plans for that trip were postponed by anti-government protests in the country.
King Charles's three-day visit to Germany from Wednesday to Friday will include stops in Berlin, Brandenburg and Hamburg as part of a diplomatic outreach effort before his coronation on May 6.
Unlike his mother, King Charles will be allowed to speak before the Bundestag on Thursday.
Britain's royal family has ancestral ties to Germany.
Before changing its name to Windsor due to concerns about anti-German sentiment during the First World War, the family bore the name Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, indicating its German heritage.
