Bildjournalismus

Closed streets, cheering people, shouts of “Elizabeth” from excited children. When Queen Elizabeth II paid a ten-day visit to Germany in May 1965, “Queen fever” literally broke out in the young democracy. After visits to Bonn and Berlin, among other places, a stay in Hanover, where the Queen has family roots, is planned for Ascension Day. At 6:15 pm, she arrives in the city center with her entourage, accompanied by a large police contingent. Among the 250,000 people lining the streets is Joachim Giesel, who rides ahead of the procession on his bicycle to get the best view of the spectacle at the right moment. His photo, taken at the central Goseriedeplatz, shows two black Mercedes-Benz limousines with open rear ends driving past the onlookers. In the front one, an S600 Landaulet model, the Queen stands together with the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Georg Diederichs, and waves in a royal gesture to the crowds cheering her on. Her smiling face and her greeting are reflected in the roof of the state coach. Prince Philip and Karin-Rut Diederichs, the wife of the Prime Minister, can be seen in the vehicle following her. Giesel’s colleague can be seen in the background, capturing the scene from a different angle. With the first state visit by a British monarch in 52 years to mark the reconciliation of the two nations after two world wars, both are documenting a historic moment.

Jonathan Fulda