German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and Dutch King Willem-Alexander, left, attend a military welcome ceremony as part of a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 5, 2021. The Royals arrived in Germany for a three-day visit that was delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, front right, welcomes Dutch King Willem-Alexander, center, and his wife Queen Maxima, front left, with military honors for a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 5, 2021. The Royals arrived in Germany for a three-day visit that was delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)Dutch King Willem-Alexander, right and his wife Queen Maxima, front left, wave as they arrive for a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 5, 2021. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are on a three day visit in Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, right, and Dutch King Willem-Alexander, left, attend a military welcome ceremony as part of a meeting in Berlin, Germany, Monday, July 5, 2021. The Royals arrived in Germany for a three-day visit that was delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
BERLIN – King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands on Monday started a three-day visit to Germany that was delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The royal couple were greeted with a 21-gun salute after landing at Berlin's airport at the beginning of Willem-Alexander’s first state visit to Germany since he became king in 2013.
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In persistent rain, they were received by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at his Bellevue palace. They are also expected to visit Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
A meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel also is on the agenda during this week's visit.
Willem-Alexander and Maxima were last in Germany in 2019, when they visited the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin. The king has some German roots — his father, Prince Claus, was German-born.
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