In 2015 the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh went on their last state visit to Germany. It was a time of lively debate over Britain’s future in Europe – this was the year before the Brexit referendum. I was commissioned to write a survey of the media coverage of this landmark event. Here are a few extracts:

23 June – Anticipation & arrival

There was intense and overwhelmingly positive German media interest in the arrival of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in Berlin on Tuesday evening. Tagesschau.de, the website of ARD television’s flagship news programme, looked back at the Queen’s first state visit to Germany half a century ago and recalled that it had become a ‘symbol of reconciliation’ between Britain and the Federal Republic. Jens-Peter Marquardt, ARD’s London correspondent, told radio listeners that Chancellor Merkel was looking forward to the visit – she and the Queen were ‘two strong women’, he said. But David Cameron’s insistence on using his presence to discuss EU reform was seen as an ‘irritation’ in Berlin.

Meanwhile, German TV news reported that the UK embassy in Berlin had ordered 50 litres of Pimms for a garden party in the Queen’s honour; UKTI Germany tweeted that supermarket chain Kaisers would be offering ‘British treats and delicacies’ in 150 of its Berlin stores to mark the visit; and cultural commentator Margit Appleton tweeted: ‘Suddenly the whole town is teeming with police cars. I’ve never seen a single one before.’ Pictures of the red carpet under lead-grey skies at Tegel airport were widely circulated on social media, with many observers joking about the ‘British weather’ awaiting Her Majesty. The mass-circulation Bild newspaper advised its readers how to behave if introduced to the Queen. ‘Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to first,’ it warned. But journalist Janosch Delcker spoke for many when he tweeted: ‘Seeing how excited my home country Germany is about the visit of the #QueenInBerlin, one could think she’s our own.’

24 June – Meetings with President Gauck and Chancellor Merkel

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were pictured on the front pages of the Times and Daily Telegraph as they arrived in Berlin. Under the headline ‘Germans treat visitors like family’, The Times quoted British ambassador Sir Simon McDonald explaining that the Queen was highly regarded in Germany. ‘The Queen stands for a whole series of things the Germans like,’ he said. ‘She has done the same job for 63 years in a very dutiful way, she is reliable, she stands for continuity and reliability. She is the focus of national attention.’

As the PM also prepared to fly to the German capital, the Financial Times said: ‘British officials hope the emollient presence of the Queen in Berlin on the eve of a European summit will reinforce Ms Merkel’s willingness to help Mr Cameron keep the UK inside the EU.’ The Telegraph carried a piece by Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, author of a book on how Germany’s past is shaping its European future. In it, he wrote: ‘The Queen’s visit is, as much as anything, a reminder to the British: Germany is a fundamentally changed country, and we need to rediscover it.’ A Telegraph editorial concluded: ‘In her 90th year and on her 270th official overseas trip, [the Queen] will once again demonstrate that she remains this country’s finest ambassador.’

On German TV, ZDF’s main evening news bulletin ran the state visit as its top story for the first 6.5 minutes of the programme. ‘Royal atmosphere but little pomp,’ the commentator declared. Delighted schoolchildren were asked of their impressions after glimpsing the Royal visitors – ‘it was great, I’ve never seen a Queen before!’ said one. The reporter also spoke of the ‘highly political’ nature of the Queen’s visit – the UK government needs allies in its EU negotiations, he explained, and Germany is especially important for David Cameron. In a piece to camera, Bettina Schausten said her biggest impression after day one of the visit was the warmth shown towards the Queen by the population of Berlin. The river cruise with President Gauck had been rather symbolic – ‘Germany and Great Britain in the same boat’.

25 June – Reaction to the Queen’s Berlin speech; visit to Frankfurt

Many of Thursday morning’s UK papers carried prominent reports on the Queen’s speech at the previous evening’s state banquet in Berlin. ‘Queen warns leaders over risk of division in Europe’, The Times headlined its double-page coverage. The paper said the Queen made a plea for greater European co-operation on the eve of a Brussels summit that would kick off Britain’s formal renegotiation before the EU referendum. It added: ‘Although Palace aides were at pains to point out that it was not a political speech, it was written on the advice of the government and contained nothing that would give solace to those who want Britain to leave the EU.’ The Daily Telegraph led its late edition with the Queen’s intervention – the paper said her comments are likely to be interpreted as a plea for Britain to remain a member of the EU. In the view of the Daily Mail, the Queen ‘made a powerful plea for European unity in the face of conflict in the Ukraine and on the political stage in the West’.

Reaction to the Queen’s speech on social media was overwhelmingly positive. ‘Great to hear the Queen calling for Europe’s unity during her visit to Berlin,’ tweeted Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party. ‘Europe has to be on its guard against division.’ Annette Dittert, former ARD correspondent in London, said the Queen’s remarks had been ‘unusually political for her’. And Ralf Schuler, chief of Bild’s parliamentary office, found the Queen’s toast to President Gauck ‘moving’.

The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian were among a number of papers describing an ‘awkward’ moment the previous day when President Gauck presented the Queen with a portrait of herself as a young girl on a pony being led by her father. ‘That’s a funny colour for a horse,’ the Queen said of the unusual blue creature. In widely quoted remarks she then added: ‘Is that supposed to be my father?’ The picture was widely mocked in the media, but artist Nicole Leidenfrost who painted it defended her work in a lively interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine. ‘The point is to have a bit of fun!’ she told the paper. ‘I don’t do deadly serious art. And that’s actually royal blue […] A blue horse is highly symbolic. The Queen liked my picture!’