Joined by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth may have been Germany's most popular tourist ever this week, greeted by flag-waving and cheering crowds at each stop during their three-day trip. Getting into the royal spirit, some in the crowd dressed up in morning suits or costumes – and during one highlight of the jaunt, the Queen even made a special effort to greet one little boy dressed like a king, with a royal blue crown and cape.
Queen Elizabeth meets some pint-sized fans, including a miniature King Photo: Getty Images
It was a whole other kind of dressing up when, wearing her grandmother’s tiara, Queen Elizabeth looked as regal as ever at a state dinner at the official residence of the German president, Bellevue Palace. Dressed in a hand-beaded gown by one of her favorites, Stewart Parvin, the Queen wore a tiara given to her by Queen Mary (who had received it as a wedding gift) when Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947.
The Queen and her husband were greeted with full military honors by the German President Joachim Gauck and his partner when they had arrived in Berlin, and the two couples later took a boat trip down the River Spree.
German President Joachim Gauck joins Her Majesty for a boat ride Photo: Getty Images
The following day, the royal couple enjoyed some family time when they met with Prince Philip’s relatives. At a lunch in Frankfurt, Philip met with his nephew, Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, who is 81-years-old, and his distant cousin Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse.
Her Majesty meets concentration camp survivors and liberators at Bergen-Belsen Photo: Getty Images
But the trip wasn't all fun and fanfare and included some extremely poignant moments as well. To close their historic visit to Germany, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip made a solemn visit to the concentration camp memorial at Bergen-Belsen, where they viewed Anne Frank's grave and met with survivors and liberators of the camp.