This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33234200

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Queen and Prince Philip begin state visit to Germany Queen and Prince Philip begin state visit to Germany
(about 4 hours later)
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have arrived in Germany for a four-day state visit. The Queen has been welcomed to Germany with a 21-gun salute and the roar of Luftwaffe fighter jets overhead.
The German air force escorted the Queen's plane to Berlin Tegel airport, and a 21-gun salute was fired. Two Eurofighter Typhoon jets had escorted the royal couple's chartered plane to Berlin Tegel airport, as is customary for visiting dignitaries.
During the royals' visit, they will attend a state banquet, travel to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and hold a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On landing, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by Britain's ambassador to Germany, Sir Simon McDonald,
This will be the Queen's seventh time in Germany. The royals are in the country for a four-day state visit.
She and Prince Philip are responding to an invitation from German President Joachim Gauck. The skies brightened briefly just before the Queen's plane touched down and taxied to a strip of red carpet and a waiting guard of honour.
As the Queen left the airport, 15 motorcycle outriders led the way, forming an arrowhead, followed by a British state limousine carrying the royal couple.
During their time in Germany, they will attend a state banquet, travel to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and hold a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Queen and Prince Philip are responding to an invitation from German President Joachim Gauck.
They will be received by President Gauck at his official residence, Bellevue Palace, on Wednesday.They will be received by President Gauck at his official residence, Bellevue Palace, on Wednesday.
Prime Minister David Cameron will join them at a state banquet on Wednesday held in their honour.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend time in Berlin and Frankfurt before travelling to the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by the British 70 years ago.The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will spend time in Berlin and Frankfurt before travelling to the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, which was liberated by the British 70 years ago.
There they will meet groups of survivors and liberators, and representatives of Jewish and Christian communities.There they will meet groups of survivors and liberators, and representatives of Jewish and Christian communities.
The Queen's first visit to Germany was in 1965 and the last in 2004. In 2000 she opened the new British embassy in Berlin. This is the Queen's seventh time in Germany.
The Queen's first visit was in 1965 and the last in 2004. In 2000 she opened the new British embassy in Berlin.
She has been on four previous state visits and two official visits.She has been on four previous state visits and two official visits.
Mr Gauck, a human-rights campaigner and former East German dissident, became president in March 2012.Mr Gauck, a human-rights campaigner and former East German dissident, became president in March 2012.
Analysis by Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondentAnalysis by Peter Hunt, BBC royal correspondent
The fighter jets from the German Luftwaffe, which escorted the Queen's plane as it came into land, honoured a visiting dignitary and the representative of a family with ties to the country. Inside a private chartered plane - escorted by two fighter jets from the Luftwaffe - the Queen touched down in Germany for the seventh time in her reign.
Prince Philip's four sisters married German princes and during World War One, the House of Saxe Coburg Gotha was renamed the House of Windsor. According to Sir Simon McDonald, Britain's ambassador here, the monarch stands for something Germans appreciate - continuity, stability and a sense of duty.
This is the 270th time the Queen, as head of state, has been on foreign soil. Newspapers in Berlin have advised their readers to not take selfies; to refer to her as Your Majesty; and to consider lilac as a safe colour to wear.
She has described such state visits as an "old-fashioned way of travelling" which still have a point. On the tarmac there was a 21-gun salute - the formal ceremonial welcome will be on Wednesday at the German President's palace.
With her husband, she'll go to see what remains of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp which was liberated by the British 70 years ago.
One of the survivors has spoken of how it was only a liberation in the physical sense because his soul was burnt out and he could feel no joy.
Read more from Peter HuntRead more from Peter Hunt