Comedian Henning Wehn delighted in a royal shout-out on Thursday as Britain's King Charles III paid tribute to the UK's cultural links with Germany.
In a light-hearted segment of his speech to the German parliament, the king saluted Wehn as "Germany's comedy ambassador".
"Henning Wehn has given us an understanding of German quirks, as Monty Python brought our own here," he said.
The comedian said the royal mention was "rather surreal", in a tweet posted from an account renamed King Charles Beste Mann.
Wehn's stand-up act makes light of the British stereotype that Germans lack a sense of humour.
The king paid tribute to centuries of cultural links between the UK and Germany, such as the music of Georg Frederick Handel that will be played at his coronation on May 6.
He said more recent generations might think of the Beatles and their performances in Hamburg, or of German band Kraftwerk.
"For the last 50 years, we have laughed together, both with each other and at each other," the king said, to laughter and applause from MPs.
"Like all old friends at moments, the warmth of our relationship allows a small smile at each other's expense."
Switching into German, he cited England and Germany's long football rivalry and noted an English win in the women's European Championship last year.
He quoted a comedy sketch called Dinner for One that is long-forgotten in Britain but broadcast annually as a New Year's Eve tradition in Germany.
"It is, I know, an integral part of a German happy new year," he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
