Just don’t mention the football! Angela Merkel will meet Boris and the Queen at Downing Street and Windsor Castle on Friday despite German Chancellor’s warning over Delta variant in UK
- Frau Merkel heading to Britain as England dumped Germany out of Euro 2020
- She will meet the Queen and the Prime Minister later this week, officials say
- Chancellor has argued Wembley’s capacity should be limited further next week
- And she is the driving force behind plan to ruin Brits’ holidays with an EU ban
Angela Merkel is heading to Britain to meet the Queen and Boris Johnson on Friday, it was revealed today.
The German Chancellor is jetting to London just days after England crushed Germany’s Euro 2020 dreams and amid rumours she was considering pulling out because of the number of Delta covid cases in the UK.
The monarch will meet Ms Merkel at an audience at Windsor Castle in Berkshire – just weeks after the women were last seen together chatting at the G7 summit in Cornwall.
The German leader is also set to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the same day to discuss the global response to the pandemic and post-Brexit relations.
Frau Merkel is making a series of farewell trips as she prepares to stand down as Chancellor in the autumn – but her trip the the UK was said to be in doubt because of the Indian ‘Delta’ variant of Covid that is dominant in Britain.
England is jubilant today after the national team made it into the quarter-finals on Tuesday after defeating Germany 2-0 – the first time they have beaten their old rivals in a tournament knockout game since 1966.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet the Queen at Windsor on Friday as part of her farewell tour – just a month since they last met a the G7 (pictured together at a previous meeting)
Frau Merkel will also meet the PM to discuss the pandemic – weeks after they were together in Cornwall
The monarch will meet Ms Merkel at an audience at Windsor Castle in Berkshire
Prince George, with the Cambridges, watching the England match where the national team thrashed the Germans
The Queen was radiant in a vibrant blue coat and matching hat as she joined Princess Anne to visit an outdoor children’s centre in Glasgow this morning.
The Queen’s great-grandson Prince George, with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, were among those cheering on captain Harry Kane and his squad to victory at Wembley.
Ms Merkel is reported to want the European Union to ban all UK travellers from entering the bloc regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.
As England dumped Germany out of Euro 2020, Angela Merkel, who is already trying to ban UK tourists from Europe because of the more infectious Covid strain, is now objecting to Britain hosting 60,000 fans at the west London stadium for the semi-finals and final of the football tournament.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer urged Mr Johnson not to be ‘irresponsible’ and follow Munich’s lead, where just 20 per cent of Euro fans have been allowed in. By this ‘benchmark’ just 18,000 would be allowed inside Wembley.
‘I think it’s irresponsible for tens of thousands to gather in close proximity’ in countries where the ‘highly contagious’ Indian variant is spreading, Seehofer told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper.
It comes as Germany seeks to pressure countries like Spain and Portugal, which rely on British tourist income, to accept an EU-wide blanket ban on UK holidaymakers to stop the spread of the so-called ‘Delta’ variant – despite Britain having the highest vaccination rate in Europe.
Nearly half of all Britons are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while 36 per cent of Germans are double-jabbed. The AstraZeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against the Indian variant.
England fans outside Wembley Stadium ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 Group D match between England and Scotland
Angela Merkel, who is already trying to ban UK tourists from Europe because of the more infectious Covid strain, is now objecting to Britain hosting 60,000 fans at the west London stadium for the semi-finals and final
Britain remains ahead of France and Germany in the race to vaccinate its entire adult population
German officials pushing hard to convince other countries to quarantine all UK arrivals – even those who’ve been vaccinated
But Merkel, along with Emmanuel Macron, wants EU member states to accept a blanket ban on arrivals from the UK, urging them to relinquish their border sovereignty and hand it over to Brussels.
France and Germany claim that this is because of the Indian variant, but critics have argued that it is political, fuelled by lasting bitterness over Britain’s world-beating vaccine programme and Brexit.
Although Britain is experiencing an uptick in new Covid cases blamed on the Indian variant, it has the highest proportion of citizens vaccinated than any other country in Europe.
But Germany has designated Britain as a virus variant risk area, meaning only German nationals or residents are allowed to enter from the UK, barring a few exceptions.
All UK arrivals, including vaccinated people, face a 14-day quarantine in Germany.
Strict travel curbs imposed by both countries are expected to dissuade many German fans from making the trip to England.
Merkel has in recent days repeatedly expressed concern about the Euro championship fuelling the spread of the Indian variant on the continent.
She has also criticised a lack of European-wide coordination on entry restrictions for travellers from risk areas.
In Germany, the Delta strain now accounts for around half of all new coronavirus cases, the head of the country’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases told a meeting attended by Health Minister Jens Spahn on Monday.
Spain and Greece were last night leading the resistance to Germany’s demand for Europe to effectively ban British holidaymakers this summer.
EU diplomats clashed at a behind-closed-doors meeting in Brussels, with German officials pushing hard to convince other countries to quarantine all UK arrivals – even those who’ve been vaccinated.
Yesterday, both Portugal and Malta announced new quarantine-on-arrival rules for British holidaymakers.
However, they stopped short of German demands and exempted those who have received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
Brightest flower in the garden! Queen looks radiant in royal blue as she meets beekeepers and youngsters toasting marshmallows on visit to children’s wood project in Glasgow
The Queen was radiant in a vibrant blue coat and matching hat as she joined Princess Anne to visit an outdoor children’s centre in Glasgow this morning.
The monarch, 95, beamed as she arrived alongside her daughter at The Children’s Wood Project in Glasgow to learn about the work of the outdoor community initiative, which aims to encourage a happy, healthy and resilient community through access to green space and outdoor learning.
The royal appeared in high spirits and could be seen beaming from ear-to-ear during the engagement, where she met with children roasting marshmallows and received a jar of honey from a young royal fan.
The Queen, who has been joined by Princess Anne today for the rest of her four-day visit, is in Scotland for Royal Week where she will be taking part in engagements celebrating community, innovation and history.
Yesterday, she met Nicola Sturgeon as her week-long trip to protect the Union continued, and told the First Minister she was delighted to be back in Scotland for the first time since Prince Philip died.
The Queen was radiant in a vibrant blue coat and matching hat as she joined Princess Anne to visit an outdoor children’s centre in Glasgow this morning
During the visit to The Children’s Wood Project in Glasgow, the Queen and Princess Anne learned about the work of the outdoor community initiative, which aims to encourage a happy, healthy and resilient community through access to green space and outdoor learning
The monarch was in high spirits as her daughter joined her for a day of engagements in Glasgow earlier today
The royal could be seen beaming from ear-to-ear during the engagement, where she met with children roasting marshmallows and received a jar of honey from a young royal fan
The Children’s Wood Project is a dedicated green space designed to connect local people with nature, raise aspirations and bring the community together through outdoor activities such as gardening, beekeeping and forest schools.
During the visit, The Queen and The Princess Royal spoke to local young people about the benefits of the Wood Project and their experiences of having access to the outdoor space, particularly during the pandemic.
As part of a volunteering session at the beekeeping area, the mother and daughter heard from local beekeepers who lend their time to maintaining the wood’s beehives, before meeting a group of community gardeners tending to their allotments.
They went on to meet schoolchildren and teachers from East Park Primary School. As the group toasted marshmallows, the Queen and Princess Anne heard about the project’s educational initiatives and the children’s experiences of taking part in forest school sessions at the Wood Project.
Yesterday, the monarch said she was delighted to be back in Scotland for the first time since Prince Philip died (pictured, in Glasgow today)
The Queen grinned as she was shown some of the satellite nano-technology during a visit to Skypark in the Scottish city earlier today
The Queen and Princess Anne heard how information gathered from satellites is used for weather forecasts, GPS navigation at sea, the development of renewable energy sources, and to learn more about the planet
The Queen went on to visit the Skypark to receive a briefing from the UK Space Agency and view satellite production (pictured)
During her visit to the Sky Park, the Queen and Princess Royal visited the offices of Spire Global and viewed a demonstration by staff on the data that is collected by the company’s constellation of satellites in orbit above the Earth’s atmosphere
The monarch, who was accompanied by the Princess Royal during the visit, met with two companies who are leading the way in the space technology field
Over 20 local schools have access to the wood for outdoor lessons, and the Wood Project works with local universities to carry out research and support this form of learning as part of teacher training.
Also known as The North Kelvin Meadow, the Children’s Wood Project demonstrates how community can benefit from the nurturing and use of a wild space in an urban setting.
The local community around The Children’s Wood Project played an active part in protecting the green space and transforming it from a disused site into the thriving outdoor community hub it is today.
The royals went on to visit the Skypark in Glasgow to meet two companies who are leading the way in the space technology field.
Meanwhile the royal attracted quite the fanfare during the visit, with fans lining the street in order to capture a glimpse of the Queen
The royal could be seen strolling through the grounds of the outdoor centre with the organisation’s director Emily Cutts
At another stage, the monarch and her daughter gathered around a fire where they spoke with local school children who were making smores
During the visit, they spoke to staff from AAC Clyde Space, which specialises in the development of advanced satellites, used to collect data for maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring and weather forecasting.
The Queen and Princess Royal also visited the production site, and met representatives from the UK Space Agency.
The pair were then whisked off to visit the offices of Spire Global and viewed a demonstration by staff on the data that is collected by the company’s constellation of satellites in orbit above the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Queen and Princess Anne heard how this information is used for weather forecasts, GPS navigation at sea, the development of renewable energy sources, and to learn more about the planet.
A young volunteer at the centre appeared overjoyed to present the Queen with a jar of honey during the engagement earlier today
The royal appeared inquisitive about the beekeeper’s work and could be seen chatting to the mother and son animatedly after receiving the honey
Queen Elizabeth II receives a gift of Honey from a young boy during a visit to the Children’s Wood Project
After she was gifted the honey, the monarch could be seen inspecting the jar (right) and exchanged a few words with the beekeeper volunteers (left)
Meanwhile the royal also shared a laugh with the volunteer, who was wearing a beekeeping suit for the occasion
The monarch appeared overjoyed with the young royal fan’s gift during the engagement and could be seen beaming as she shared a smile with his mother
Yesterday the monarch matched in light blue with the First Minister as they held a socially distanced meeting at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
The Queen received Ms Sturgeon just after midday, telling her ‘it’s lovely to have you back here’ and that ‘a year’s gap is incredible’ – a nod to her shielding at Windsor Castle with her late husband.
The First Minister smiled and replied: ‘It’s great to see you in person after so long. It’s lovely to have you back here’.
Her Majesty beckoned the SNP leader to take a seat and remarked on the gap between the chairs saying: ‘It’s still rather distanced I’m afraid’.
Princess Anne joined her mother on the visit to the Children’s Wood Project today in Glasgow, opting for a pale blue blazer for the engagement
Ms Sturgeon replied: ‘Well that’s very wise’ and nodded when the monarch said: ‘You must be quite used to that’.
Her Majesty was animated during their chat, smiling and waving her arms as she listened to Ms Sturgeon before receiving Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Alison Johnstone.
The Queen is leading a Royal charm offensive to help persuade Scotland to resist the demands of nationalists for independence – with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge playing a key supporting role.
The trip, which is being discreetly backed by Downing Street, began on Monday with a trip to the Irn Bru factory in Cumbernauld with Prince William accompanying his grandmother and even trying some of ‘Scotland’s other national drink’.
William was at a shipyard on the Clyde yesterday and earlier this year gave a deeply personal speech in which he described the ‘special place’ that Scotland had in his heart, a country which he said held both some of his ‘happiest memories’ and his ‘saddest’.
The mother and daughter duo heard from local beekeepers who lend their time to maintaining the wood’s beehives, before meeting a group of community gardeners tending to their allotments.
The monarch donned a vibrant blue coat for the occasion with a matched hat adorned with blue and white floral decorations (pictured)
The Queen could be seen beaming as she arrived at the outdoor engagement wearing a vibrant blue coat with a matching hat
Meanwhile the monarch opted to wear a white floral gown beneath her vibrant blue coat for the engagement, and accessorised with a black bag and court shoes
It was at Balmoral where he learned of the death of his mother Diana, in 1997. And it was at St Andrews where he met and fell in love with Kate Middleton.
Ahead of the Queen’s meeting with the First Minister, there was a background of tension dating back years since they first met seven years ago.
Just last December furious Tories hit out at Ms Sturgeon’s ‘swipe’ at Prince William and Kate Middleton over their whistle-stop trip to Scotland.
The Scottish leader revealed at a daily briefing that the country’s government had reminded the Palace of the strict Covid restrictions north of the border ahead of the couple’s morale boosting tour.
Travelling across the border at the time was permitted for work purposes and royal sources said that was exactly what the trip was, but Ms Sturgeon chose to warn them anyway.
The monarch is also expected to stay for a few days at Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, at the end of the week privately.
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