Britain's King Charles III speaks to Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor, at the state banquet given by German President Steinmeier in honor of King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort at Bellevue Palace, Berlin, Wednesday March 29, 2023. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/Pool via AP)
BERLIN (AP) – After schmoozing with Berlin’s political elite in the morning, King Charles III plans to head to the German countryside for a down-to-earth afternoon visit at an organic farm, where Britain’s monarch will help make an orange-colored cheese with a crown imprint.
“We heard that the king is a great lover of cheese,” Katja von Maltzan, who with her husband runs the Brodowin farm 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Germany’s capital.
“We took that as an opportunity to make our own creation for him,” the farmer told German news agency dpa.
The Brodowin King is a Tilsiter-style cheese infused with carrot juice to give “it a little sweetness and an orange color, like British cheddar,” she said.
Charles’ visit underlines his interest and commitment to environmental causes. His three-day visit to Germany – his first foreign trip as Britain’s monarch – also included a reception dedicated to building a more sustainable world.
During the reception at German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s Bellevue Palace, he met government ministers, experts and advocacy group representatives. He and Camilla, the queen consort, arrived in Berlin on Wednesday.
Brodowin farm was established in 1991 on land that used to be part of an East German agricultural cooperative. The 2,300-hectare (5,683-acre) farm produces vegetables, dairy products, flax and sunflower oil, fresh meat and sausages according to strict organic standards. Almost all of its is electricity is generated on-site through a solar energy system.
At Brodowin farm, the British king is set to meet with young farming trainees and go on a tour of the property, which has 160 dairy cows, 300 dairy goats and 1,800 hens. Von Maltzan and her husband are preparing to walk Charles through the entire cheese-making process.
His role will involve pouring the cheese mixture into a mold and smoothing it out, dpa reported. The farmers plan to produce a total of about 150 round loaves of cheese which will have to ripen for six to eight weeks before they are ready to eat and sell.
Von Maltzan said it was an honor “that the king has chosen to come to Brodowin on his first state visit” and also “a statement for organic farming and sustainability.”
Charles, 74, who ascended the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, is set to be crowned during a May 6 coronation ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey.
If he is in the mood, he will get a taste of the experience on Thursday. The farm’s pastry chef has spent 2 1/2 weeks creating a white chocolate cake with sugar icing gems that is in the shape of the crown that will be placed on the king’s head at the coronation.
According to von Maltzan, the cake is the right size.
“Theoretically, he could put it on right away,” she said.
