Her Majesty has lunch with the in-laws! The Queen meets some of Prince Philip's German relations during visit to Frankfurt
- The Queen and Prince Philip were flown to Frankfurt, Germany's financial capital, this morning
- The royal couple enjoyed lunch with some of Philip's relations, including Maxmillian, Margrave of Baden, 81
- Also there was Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse - a third cousin of the Queen's
- The clearly delighted royal couple were greeted by cries of: 'We love you Your Majesty and Prince Philip'
- Asked why she had come to see the Queen, one local teen named Jana Bergmann said: 'She is just great!'
During the First World War the issue of his family’s Germanic origins was so sensitive that the Queen’s grandfather, King George V, replaced his family name, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, with that of Windsor.
Today, however, there were no such qualms about celebrating those links. Indeed, on a visit to the financial powerhouse of Frankfurt, the Queen looked delighted as she was introduced to some of her husband’s own German relatives at an official lunch.
Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, Philip is actually a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg while his four sisters married German princes.
Family lunch: The Queen, pictured with President Gauck, waves to the crowds from the balcony of Frankfurt City Hall following her lunch
Enjoyable: Among the relations to have lunch with the Queen and Prince Philip was the 81-year-old Maxmillian, Margrave of Baden
Relation: Another was Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse, 48, a great-great-great grandson of Victoria and third cousin of the Queen
Friendly chat: The Queen, who was wearing an ensemble by Angela Kelly, chats to Prime Minister Volker Bouffier of Hesse during lunch
Enjoying herself: The Queen, who is mid way through a three-day visit to Germany, appeared to be enjoying herself
Philip was also educated in the country, at Schule Schloss Salem on the shores of Lake Constance, which was owned by his brother-in-law, Berthold, Margrave of Baden, married to his sister Princess Theodora.
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Today he warmly greeted Berhold’s son - his 81-year-old nephew - Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, whose ancestor, Max von Baden, was a descendent of the Duke of Cumberland and briefly served as Chancellor of the German Empire in 1918.
Also present was Donatus, Prince and Landgrave of Hesse, 48, a great-great-great grandson of Queen Victoria and third cousin of the Queen, but also related to Philip through the British royal’s brother in law, Prince Christoph of Hesse, an SS officer who died in a plane crash in 1943.
Prince Christoph was himself a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and married to Philip’s sister, Princess Sophie.
He was a director in the Third Reich’s Minister of Air Forces and held the title of Oberfuhrer in the SS, but died when his plane crashed in a war zone in the Apennine mountains - at the same time as Philip was fighting against the Germans in the Second World War with the Royal Navy.
Prince Donatus, who shared a lunch table with the Queen and Germany's President Joachim Gauck, described Philip, who was seated nearby, as his great uncle and said: ‘It's great to have the Queen here.
Popular: Outside the City Hall, huge crowds of locals were waiting to see the Queen emerge onto the balcony
Thrilled: Prince Donatus told MailOnline that Germans were very excited to see the Queen and are fascinated by all things British
Close: The Prince also said he hoped Britain won't leave the EU - and says Germany would dearly like the UK to stay
Enthusiastic: The Queen and Prince Philip were met by flag-waving well-wishers wherever they went in Frankfurt
Cheerful: A delighted Duke of Edinburgh laughs at a joke as he walks up the steps of Frankfurt City Hall
Warm welcome: The Queen beams in delight as she and Germany's President Joachim Gauck are welcomed by adoring crowds in Frankfurt
All smiles: Her Majesty waves at the crowds as she arrives at City Hall in Frankfurt on the second day of her German tour
Are those for me? A clearly delighted Queen accepts a posy from an adorable pair of local children
'You see the citizens of Frankfurt are excited to have them as guests in the city and it shows that the Germans are very interested in the British people and the country.’
The prince, who could be seen sharing a joke with the Queen at one point, added: ‘We had a good table and I know her of course as a relative and I see her once in a while. I was only able to talk to Prince Philip for a second, we weren't on the same table.
‘I'm related to both the Queen and Prince Philip, because Prince Philip is a Battenberg. Mountbatten is Battenberg and Battenberg is coming from my family. I'm also related to the Queen through Queen Victoria - she's my great, great, great grandmother, something like that.
'Normally I meet them in England at Windsor, so it's lovely to see them here.’
The prince added that he was ‘astonished’ at the enthusiasm and excitement she generated in the ordinary people around the world.
Asked about the significance of the Queen's visit, he replied: ‘It is very important, this is her fifth visit and it shows the importance of the British-German relationship - everyday it has to be worked on. And of course we Germans want to see the British stay in the European Union.'
The lunch took place in Frankfurt City Hall, where the royal party dined on local specialities before appearing in front of cheering crowds on the building’s historic balcony.
Getting to know the younger generation: The Queen bends down to speak with the two children outside the City Hall
Wonderful time: Both Her Majesty and Prince Philip appeared to be enjoying their morning in Frankfurt
Entourage: As well as the German presidential couple and Prince Philip, the Queen was joined by Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond (back)
Royal wave: The Queen waves to the crowds that had gathered in central Frankfurt to see her
Perfect host: Germany's President Gauck appeared to be getting along well with the Queen and smiled throughout
Excitement: As in Berlin yesterday, the royal couple attracted huge crowds of flag-waving well-wishers
Salute: Many of the crowd members carried Union flags as well as German tricolours and waved both at the Queen's approach
Popular: The Queen and Prince Philip are hugely popular in Germany and huge crowds turned out to see them
Earlier, the Queen, who was resplendent in an Angela Kelly-designed coat and hat complete with peacock feathers, had arrived at Frankfurt Airport to be met by excited well-wishers.
More than 300 metres of pristine flooring was laid for the royal couple in advance of their arrival this morning so that they could walk along the cobbled streets of the historic city with ease.
Thousands of flag-waving Germans also lined the streets to cheer the British monarch and her husband, a sign of how popular the sovereign remains even outside of her realm. One even shouted loudly: 'We love you Your Majesty and Prince Philip.'
On the second full day of her so far hugely successful state visit to Germany, the 89-year-old monarch and her husband, 94, flew to the country's financial hub, where first on their itinerary was a visit to St Paul's Church, which is seen as the birthplace of German democracy and is where the first freely-elected legislature met in 1848.
However the Frankfurt Parliament established at the Lutheran Church turned out to be a false dawn and it took another century and two World Wars to set Germany on the path to democracy.
The couple arrived to loud cheers as the Frankfurt Domsingschule choir of 60 schoolchildren sang a German song about freedom of thought - Die Gedanken Sind Frei.
Making an entrance: The Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Frankfurt aboard a Luftwaffe plane named the Theodor Heuss
Getting ready for the royal welcome: Ground crew at Frankfurt's airport ready a red carpet in preparation for the Queen's arrival
Touch down! A smiling Queen and President Gauck emerge from the plane shortly after its arrival in Frankfurt
Big arrival: The Queen is ushered off the plane (right) and down the red carpet by the German president
Nice to meet you: The Queen was welcomed by local dignitaries and was given a guard of honour drawn from the German police force
All smiles: The Queen is introduced to Hesse Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (left) and the Mayor of Frankfurt Peter Feldmann (second left)
Inside the church the couple met local dignitaries from arts and academia before going to the assembly hall to view Golden Bull document dating from 1356 document that set up the system for electing Holy Roman Emperor.
Outside the scenes were feverish. Jana Bergmann, 16, said: 'I love the Queen. She is an idol for everyone. We are all fascinated by her. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a living legend like the Queen.'
Asked why she admired Her Majesty, she said: 'She is just the Queen! She is always polite, she has been there for 60 years and never done anything wrong. She is just great.'
The visit to Frankfurt came the morning after the Queen made a speech calling for European unity during a state dinner held at the magnificent Schloss Bellevue in Berlin last night.
Joined by Prime Minister David Cameron, making only his second appearance at the Queen's side during a state visit, and Germany's Angela Merkel, Her Majesty told assembled dignitaries that she had seen the best and worst times in European history and warned against division.
'We have witnessed how quickly things can change for the better,' she continued. 'But we know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the post-war world.
'We know that division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the West as well as in the East of our continent. That remains a common endeavour.
'Since 1945 the United Kingdom has determined to number among Germany's very strongest friends in Europe. In the intervening decades, Britain and Germany have achieved so much by working together. I have every confidence that we will continue to do so in the years ahead.'
Enjoying herself: The Queen, who was resplendent in a hat topped with a peacock feather, appeared to be enjoying herself
Interested party: Mayor Feldmann shows the Queen around St Paul's Church - considered the birthplace of German democracy
Paying attention: Her Majesty appeared deep in contemplation as she listened to explanations from Mayor Feldmann and President Gauck
Nice to meet you: The Queen is all smiles as she is introduced to a group of teenagers at Frankfurt's St. Paul's Church
Seeing the sights: The Queen was accompanied by Germany's President Gauck who pointed out some of the sights as they walked
Listening in: The Queen and Prince Philip were also serenaded by a choir of school children outside St. Paul's Church
Hurry up! Some of the younger well-wishers required some distraction during the lengthy wait for the Queen to arrive
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