Merkel to host Brexit 'secret weapon' royals William and Kate

[BRUSSELS] Chancellor Angela Merkel will host Prince William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, in Berlin next week during their first official visit to Germany.

The royal couple will be welcomed to the Chancellery in central Berlin on Wednesday, where they will have lunch, the German government said in a statement on Friday.

William and Kate, as they are affectionately known in the UK, will later attend a party at the British ambassador's residence, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, which reported that fish and chips will be served to the 600 guests, among them lawmakers and business leaders.

While the British royal family does not intervene in politics, the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is seen in Germany as an effort to reach out given the UK's impending departure from the European Union. DPA described William and Kate as a "secret weapon" to be deployed in times of Brexit.

In Berlin on Wednesday, topics for discussion with the chancellor will include "European and global politics" as well as community service projects, Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said in the release.

The royals, accompanied by their young children, will spend two days in the German capital, then visit Warsaw, Gdansk, Heidelberg and finally Hamburg, according to DPA.

BLOOMBERG