Anyone who knows Hamburg knows that surviving a cloudy autumn day on the Alster and Elbe requires North German serenity. And of all guests from a European country with traditionally even worse weather are supposed to bring a little sparkle into the gray everyday life of Hamburg residents on November 6, 1987:Great Britain's Crown Prince Charles and his then wife Diana. Engine thunder from a special aircraft announces the royal flying visit shortly before noon in the morning at Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport.
A red carpet is rolled out and sets a visual splash of color in the cold, wet and dingy weather. The dignitaries of the Free and Hanseatic City - above all the Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi and his wife Christa - form the welcoming committee for the royal guests. Dressed in the finest twines, they pay their respects to Princess Diana, certainly with the deepest servants Hamburg has ever seen. At the invitation of Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, the crown prince couple came to Germany on November 1, 1987 for a visit lasting several days.
Senate Guesthouse Quarters
The greeting at the airport is followed - as is usual with such state visits - by a tightly packed program of visits. The royals are first taken to their quarters in highly polished dark Mercedes limousines. During the journey, the crown prince couple is separated:Diana is chauffeured together with Hamburg's first lady, while Klaus von Dohnanyi keeps his guest Charles company. A police motorbike escort accompanies the 20 or so vehicles to the Senate's guest house, the white villa on the Feenteich.
British week in the Alsterhaus
From there it goes on to Hamburg's most famous department store:the Alsterhaus. Charles and Diana are to open the "British Week" in the exclusive consumer temple and vigorously drum up the advertising for products from the island. Thousands of people came to Jungerfernstieg to catch a glimpse of the royals. But only the Alsterhaus saleswomen, who wear scarves with the British flag to celebrate the day, have exclusive box seats. Charles gets a folder with Hamburgensia, views of the Hanseatic city, Diana two Mecki figures for the little princes at home as a gift. While tasting chocolates, a tender gesture from Prince Charles is said to put the lie to all rumors of an alleged marital crisis. With the words "For you, Di" he is said to have handed his princess a piece of chocolate. New luck "Made in Germany" or is it all just for show? The accompanying journalists - including representatives of many British newspapers - follow the couple precisely because of these rumors during the state visit.
Barge ride with incident
The couple continues the visit with a visit to the Anglican Church on the Zeughausmarkt - the British congregation is celebrating its 375th anniversary in 1987. When visiting the Hanseatic city, a harbor tour should not be missed. When royals are invited to the sight-seeing, it's not a mean HADAG steamer that chugs across the Elbe, but the proud, luxurious, blue-and-white Senate barge "Hamburg". Left-wing activists from Hafenstrasse use the royal mini-cruise in the port as a podium for political slogans:they unveil a banner that reads "Destroy the high-security wing - victory for the IRA" and fire flares at the police. The British press later rated the action as an attack on the crown prince couple and attested the German authorities a security problem. Instead of easing the tension in German-British relations, the royal visit provided new fuel, at least in the media.
Visit to the Lokstedter NDR Studios
The couple's visit to the Lokstedt NDR Studios, on the other hand, is harmonious and peaceful. The royal couple should get to know an institution with German-British history. On behalf of the occupiers, the British journalist Hugh Greene founded the Northwest German Broadcasting Corporation (NWDR) in September 1945 in order to reorganize broadcasting in the British occupation zone after the Second World War.
The reporter legend Peter von Zahn, who Charles and Diana met in the NDR Studios, was one of the men from the very beginning. He tells them about his good experiences with the British. The children's choir of the Finkwarder Speeldeel provides North German folklore and cheerfulness with the former governess Diana. The studios are adorned with all sorts of British symbolism in honor of the guests. The Tagesschau crew, the then NDR TV boss Rolf Seelmann-Eggebert and the NDR directorship pay their respects to the important visitor.
Reception with gala dinner in the town hall
The visit to Hamburg comes to an end with the entry in the city's Golden Book and a gala dinner with 400 guests in the town hall.In the evening it will be festive:Prince Charles and Diana are invited to Hamburg City Hall. The more than 400 guests get to see the British princess, who was already considered a fashion icon back then, in a glamorous outfit. She is wearing a strapless, black lace evening dress with a long, white pearl necklace that sets a subtle contrast. Guests sign the city's golden book before the feast begins. An opulent meal is served under the magnificent coffered ceiling of the ballroom:Among other things, there is freshly shot partridge cooked in bacon and strawberries from the Vierlanden region, refined with marinated green almonds. According to tradition, as a tribute to the guests, a drop of Moselle is served as the table wine, which Charles and Diana are said to have drunk at their wedding in 1981. Mayor Klaus von Dohnanyi and the Prince of Wales exchange pleasantries in speeches. The Crown Prince couple left Hamburg again the following day. Around ten years later, Diana is dead. The "Princess of Hearts" dies in a tragic car accident in Paris in 1997.