Quote:
Originally Posted by LadyFinn
It was very lovely when 91-year-old former president Walter Scheel gave Victoria a kiss on her hand at Brandenburger Tor.
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The real sweet story behind this is that the Elder President (my translation for the title of "Alt-Bundespräsident", the official title for former Heads of State in Germany) had represented Germany as the mother country of queen Silvia at the wedding in Stockholm in 1976 and had stayed in contact with the queen ever since.
So when he read that Victoria and Daniel would visit the Brandenburger Tor, he decided to go there and took his wife with him. The media says that the reigning Mayor of Berlin recognised him as part of the people watching and asked him over to meet the CP couple but knowing German security a bit I rather believe that Scheel made himself known to the police and asked that his presence should be told to the Mayor. But that's not important.
One should know that he has been one of the most popular presidents of Germany because of his closeness to the people and because of the important charity work he and his first wife (who died rather early) initiated and did. The German help charity for people diagnosed with cancer is one of them and he is still working and still involved in important projects. So I guess the princess quite enjoyed this impromptu meeting with the old gentleman and his (second) wife.
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