The Crown’s German ties: Heritage the royals celebrate — and the parts they don’t

The German state visit to the UK, set to convene between December 3 and 5, is rehashing old memories for the British royal family — positive and otherwise.

Despite the two nations occupying vastly separate junctions on the global stage today, with the largest divide between them occurring around the second World War, Germany and the United Kingdom’s history is more interwoven than the current establishment would perhaps like to acknowledge.

Amid King Charles’ welcome of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, discover the path of heritage lined with pride and shame in equal measure.

The German succession

Germany’s roots infiltrated England when the Electorate of Hanover’s ruler, George Louis, succeeded the British throne as King George I, officially establishing the House of Hanover’s royal lineage in Great Britain.

Described by Britannica as the “British royal house of German origin”, the heritage continued for centuries, inadvertently connecting modern royals to itself.

House of…Saxe-Coburg-Gotha?

Known by the name of Windsor for decades, the royal family’s household moniker is not exactly organic.

The House of Windsor became such after they supplanted their previous family name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to “seemingly hide their German roots”, per the American publication, Evie Magazine.

“The Saxe-Coburg-Gotha name entered the British Royal family in 1840 thanks to Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” the outlet reported.

While Victoria herself belonged to the House of Hanover, with the dynasty’s lineage ending with her.

According to the royal family’s official website, “The family name was changed as a result of anti-German feeling during the First World War, and the name Windsor was adopted after the Castle of the same name.”

Royalty and Nazism

While Prince Philip, the former Duke of Edinburgh, earned his renowned title ahead of his wedding in 1947 to then Princess Elizabeth by renouncing his German royal ancestry and honours, apart from the Dutch and the Greek, a disgraced member of the royal family threatened to derail the British Crown’s legacy by mingling with German Nazis.

However, an important point to note is the fact that the Nazi rule in Germany was not treated with the same disdain as history went on to regard it with.

According to DW News, “Just a few years ago, a video emerged showing Edward and his sister-in-law practicing the Hitler salute with two little girls — Margaret and Elizabeth, with the latter one day becoming the queen of England. The snippet was filmed by Elizabeth's father, King George VI.”

The channel’s website also reported that initially, Elizabeth’s grandmother Queen Mary had “insisted that her sons” — who later became King Edward VIII and King George VI — “not forget their German roots”, having “plenty of relatives in Hitler's Germany.”

Though, as fate would have it, the abdicated King, Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson’s meeting with Adolf Hitler was deliberately shut out of the British history’s pages by the time the World War II had ended — compiled into the Marburg Files, the documents include details about the collaboration between the UK’s “traitor king” and one of the world history’s darkest figures.

Looking ahead

Today, Germany and the UK look to maintain diplomatic eyes among each other. Ahead of the German president’s official state visit, which began December 3, Buckingham Palace’s preparations included significant reminders about its country’s restored relationship with its guest’s.

“The visiting German leader and his wife were met by the King and Queen on the red-carpeted Royal Dais, with Charles greeting the president with a warm handshake,” reported The Telegraph. “Mr Steinmeier told the King, ‘It’s so wonderful, Your Majesty, to see you again’ before giving a hearty chuckle.

While the German leader is also set to accompany King Charles to a site bombed by the Luftwaffe, Nazi Germany’s air force, during the second World War, where he will place a wreath “in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral” — a poignant commemoration of how Germany’s institutions look back on its own place during the historic period of conflict from years ago.