London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 21, 2026

King Charles tells Ukrainian refugees in Berlin: ‘I’m praying for you’

King Charles tells Ukrainian refugees in Berlin: ‘I’m praying for you’

Charles played table football with new arrivals in Germany who had fled the invasion by Vladimir Putin’s forces

The King told Ukrainian refugees “I'm praying for you” as he visited a centre for new arrivals in Germany during the second day of his state visit.

Charles met families who escaped to Germany after he praised the nation's “courageous, important and appreciated” decision to send “significant” military support to Ukraine in a historic address to the Bundestag.

At Berlin's old Tegel Airport the King met recently arrived Ukrainians, a few of more than a million who have sought refuge in the country, and in a lighter moment played table football with some of the group.

On several occasions Charles clasped his hands together and told refugees “I'm praying for you”.

The King earlier made history by delivering the first speech by a British monarch during a session of the Bundestag.

He told the packed chamber: “The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has inflicted the most unimaginable suffering on so many innocent people.

“Countless lives have been destroyed; freedom and human dignity have been trampled in the most brutal way. The security of Europe has been threatened, together with our democratic values.

King Charles and Berlin's Mayor Franziska Giffey visit the arrival and temporary accommodation centre for Ukrainian refugees

“The world has watched in horror - but we have not stood by. Even as we abhor the appalling scenes of destruction, we can take heart from our unity - in defence of Ukraine, of peace and freedom.

“Germany and the United Kingdom have shown vital leadership. As Europe's two largest donors to Ukraine, we have responded with taking decisions which might previously have seemed unimaginable. Germany's decision to send such significant military support to Ukraine is remarkably courageous, important and appreciated.”

Charles and Camilla visit a food market on Wittenbergplatz in Berlin

Charles was given a tour of the Ukraine Arrival Centre by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and stopping to speak to families registering after just arriving, asked: “Was it very difficult to get out of Ukraine? Are you pleased to be here?”

Charles, who is midway through a state visit to Germany with the Queen Consort, took up the offer of a game of table football in the refugee centre's games room and joked: "I remember trying this when I was younger.”

But when he conceded a goal, he replied: “Amazing, two hands you are the experts.”

The Queen Consort and First Lady Elke Budenbender meet opera singers from the Komische Opera Berlin

Speaking afterwards through a translator Olena Ochkiviska, 40, said: “I told him everyone was caring after us and they are working on the negatives.

"He said that he was praying for us all. I'm the luckiest lady in the world.”

Kleopatra Tummler, operations manager of the refugee centre, who also worked 15 years as Take That's tour manager, said afterwards: “He really showed interest in everyone's stories.

“He learned that some said there were not enough cellars in Ukraine for people to hide.

“There was a family who had just arrived and registered here who he stopped to talk to.”

The Queen Consort and First Lady Elke Budenbender wave outside the Komische Opera Berlin

The King and Queen Consort packed a lot into the early part of their day as they continued their first overseas tour since Charles inherited the throne.

An early morning visit to a market let keen horticulturalist Charles see local produce.

The Queen Consort, meanwhile, had a treat in store when she went to the German capital’s Komische Opera Berlin. She met performers and listened to a recital.

The King met German leader Olaf Scholz for a meeting at the Chancellery at the start of the day.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Museum Faces Questions Over Peter Thiel’s Private Bayeux Tapestry Viewing
Earl Spencer Memoir Excerpts Renew Public Debate Over Diana’s Death
Liberal Democrats Gather in Brighton for Autumn Conference
Mothercare Shares Plunge as Middle East Store Closures Threaten Long-Term Solvency
Kent Police Treat Folkestone Hotel Fire as Suspicious
Caribbean Governments Advance Reparations Campaign Seeking Engagement With Britain
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
UK Competition Regulator Opens Inquiry Into McCormick-Unilever Foods Deal
Public Inquiry Into Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Failings Set to Begin
Nigel Farage Looks to US Immigration Enforcement Model for UK Border Policy
Chiltern Railways Moves Into Public Ownership
Security Review Raises Concerns Over Sensitive UK Police Data Stored on Microsoft Cloud
Burnham Government Warns of Difficult Autumn Budget as Fiscal Headroom Narrows
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
England Tightens School Food Standards With Restrictions on Deep-Fried and High-Sugar Foods
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Proposed Asylum Centre
Michael Marra Elected Leader of Scottish Labour
BBC Cash Reserves Fall Sharply as Financial Pressures Mount
George Osborne Calls for UK to Rejoin EU Customs Union
×