What a gent! Prince Philip, 94, kneels to pick up fallen posy as he and the Queen head back to London after visit to Bergen-Belsen 

  • The Queen has visited the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany's Lower Saxony
  • Her Majesty driven there from the town of Celle and laid a wreath at the foot of a memorial for its 80,000 victims
  • Prince Philip was on hand to retrieve the fallen bouquet when it slipped from the Queen's grasp
  • The most famous of those incarcerated there was Anne Frank who was just 15 when she died from typhus
  • Bergen-Belsen was liberated by the British Army in April 1945, shortly after Miss Frank lost her life 
  • Afterwards, the Queen boarded a jet at Celle military airfield which was seen taking off heading for London

By Rebecca English In Berlin For Mailonline and Ruth Styles for MailOnline

Published: 05:22 EST, 26 June 2015 | Updated: 11:43 EST, 26 June 2015

The Duke of Edinburgh may be well into his tenth decade but his athletic ability hasn't yet deserted him as he proved today when a bouquet of flowers tumbled on the asphalt in front of the Queen's feet. 

The Royal couple were visiting the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to pay tribute to those who lost their lives there during the Second World War. 

The small bouquet of pink flowers, earlier presented to Her Majesty by a young admirer, slipped from her grasp as the Royal couple made their way back to their military plane. No bother for Prince Philip who belied his advancing years and quickly bent down to pick them up.   

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Still nimble! Prince Philip, 94, bends to pick up a pink posy of flowers as the Queen and Prime Minister of the state of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil look on.The Royal couple visited the concentration camp memorial at Bergen-Belsen this morning

Still nimble! Prince Philip, 94, bends to pick up a pink posy of flowers as the Queen and Prime Minister of the state of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil look on.The Royal couple visited the concentration camp memorial at Bergen-Belsen this morning

The Queen accepts the posy on the tarmac at Celle
Saying her goodbyes: The Queen waves as she boards the jet bringing her home to London

A young fan (left) had earlier presented the Queen with the posy of flowers. Right, the Queen waves as she boards the jet bringing her home to London and (right) accepts a posy on the tarmac at Celle

Remembrance: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh lay a wreath at the foot of the memorial to the victims of Bergen-Belsen

Remembrance: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh lay a wreath at the foot of the memorial to the victims of Bergen-Belsen

Historic: The visit to the Nazi concentration camp by the Queen has been hailed by survivors and Jewish groups

Historic: The visit to the Nazi concentration camp by the Queen has been hailed by survivors and Jewish groups

As one: Unusually, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, both of whom lived through World War II themselves, laid the wreath together
As one: Unusually, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, both of whom lived through World War II themselves, laid the wreath together

As one: Unusually, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, both of whom lived through World War II themselves, laid the wreath together

Bergen-Belsen is the final resting place of more than 80,000 people murdered by the Nazis and occupies a stretch of Lower Saxony countryside. 

The site began life as a Soviet prisoner of war camp but was turned into a prison for Jews in 1943 and was also used to house 'evacuees' brought from Auschwitz as the Red Army of Russia advanced.

Her Majesty, who lived through World War II and was evacuated to Windsor Castle during the Blitz, was making her first visit to the Nazi camp and was accompanied by the Duke, who spent the war fighting with the Royal Navy.

During the visit, the Queen met with some of the Jewish survivors of the camp as well as men from the British VIII Corps which liberated Bergen-Belsen on the 15th April 1945.

Although few of the original buildings remain, the site now houses a memorial to the victims where the Queen, accompanied by Jens-Christian Wagner, laid a wreath in their memory.

Jewish groups have welcomed the visit, with many using the moment to emphasise the importance of remembering the Holocaust and ensuring that nothing like it happens again.

Speaking in advance of the trip, Bernard Levy, one of the men who helped liberate Bergen-Belsen, described the Queen's visit as 'fitting' and said it would encourage younger people to listen to survivors' stories.

'It is fitting the queen should go,' said Mr Levy, 89, who was a 19-year-old British Army corporal at the time of the camp's liberation. 'Holocaust education is so paramount, and many kids of today don't really know about it. The Queen going there lends credence.'

He said many who saw the horrors at the camp, or suffered as prisoners, tried to put the experience behind them but are now finding that they want to talk about it.

Stories: The Queen and Prince Philip speak to survivors and soldiers (L-R) Doreen Levy, Captain Eric Brown and Anita Lasker-Wallfisch

Stories: The Queen and Prince Philip speak to survivors and soldiers (L-R) Doreen Levy, Captain Eric Brown and Anita Lasker-Wallfisch

Insight: Students India Stutzke, 17, and Nils Scholl, 18, show the Queen images of the camp taken during the 1940s

Insight: Students India Stutzke, 17, and Nils Scholl, 18, show the Queen images of the camp taken during the 1940s

Derelict: Few of the camp buildings now remain, with the site left to revert to heath-land following the end of the war

Derelict: Few of the camp buildings now remain, with the site left to revert to heath-land following the end of the war

Poignant: The royal couple are shown around the camp by Bergen-Belsen's memorial director, Jens-Christian Wagner

Poignant: The royal couple are shown around the camp by Bergen-Belsen's memorial director, Jens-Christian Wagner

Memorial: The memorial at Belsen was erected in 1946 and inaugurated in 1952 in a ceremony watched by then President Theodor Heuss
Memorial: The memorial at Belsen was erected in 1946 and inaugurated in 1952 in a ceremony watched by then President Theodor Heuss

Memorial: The memorial at Belsen was erected in 1946 and inaugurated in 1952 in a ceremony watched by then President Theodor Heuss

Mr Levy, who works for the Holocaust Educational Trust, added: 'After 70 years, there's been a revival of people who want to say something before they die.'

Bergen-Belsen began life in 1935 when the Nazi military selected a site near the small village of Belsen, close to the town of Bergen in Lower Saxony, for a new training complex.

Completed in 1937, it was used to give Wermacht soldiers armoured vehicle training but, after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, was given a new lease of life as a barracks for prisoners of war.

Initially housed in ramshackle huts, the camp, known as Stalag XI-B, swiftly expanded and was later used for military prisoners from Belgium and France, as well as the Soviet Union.

Expanded further throughout 1941 and 42, the complex eventually came to include four separate camps, most holding Soviet prisoners in conditions so appalling that more than 50,000 died by the end of the War.

In April 1943, parts of the camp were redesignated as an Aufenthaltslager or holding camp for Jewish prisoners whose fate, in theory, was to be exchanged for German nationals captured by Allied Forces.

Sombre: The Queen, who lived through World War II herself, appeared deeply affected by the visit to the concentration camp

Sombre: The Queen, who lived through World War II herself, appeared deeply affected by the visit to the concentration camp

Liberation: The camp was eventually liberated by British troops in April 1945 as they advanced towards Berlin

Liberation: The camp was eventually liberated by British troops in April 1945 as they advanced towards Berlin

Tragic: When the British arrived, they were confronted by the sight of more than 10,000 dead bodies and thousands of starving people

Tragic: When the British arrived, they were confronted by the sight of more than 10,000 dead bodies and thousands of starving people

Horror: The most famous victim of Bergen-Belsen is Anne Frank who was just 15 years old when she died in February or March 1945

Horror: The most famous victim of Bergen-Belsen is Anne Frank who was just 15 years old when she died in February or March 1945

Victims: In total, around 80,000 people, among them Soviet prisoners, Jews, homosexuals and gypsies, perished at Bergen-Belsen

Victims: In total, around 80,000 people, among them Soviet prisoners, Jews, homosexuals and gypsies, perished at Bergen-Belsen

Preparation: Bees had to be removed from one of the graves in advance of the Queen's visit. The small pebbles have been placed around the edges of the grave as part of a Jewish tradition that encourages people to leave them there as a sign of respect and love for the deceased

Preparation: Bees had to be removed from one of the graves in advance of the Queen's visit. The small pebbles have been placed around the edges of the grave as part of a Jewish tradition that encourages people to leave them there as a sign of respect and love for the deceased

14,600 Jews, among them more than 2,000 children, were sent there between 1943 and March 1944, when the camp was repurposed again, this time as a Erholungslager - an evacuation camp for Jews marched away from the Polish death camps in the face of the advancing Red Army.

Other Jews were sent there direct, among them diarist Anne Frank who, with her sister Margot, was one of the 9,000 women interred in the specialist women's camp.

By the beginning of 1945, the population of the camp had soared to 60,000 as thousands of exhausted, emaciated prisoners arrived at the end of forced death marches from the eastern network of death camps.

Diseases such as typhus and cholera decimated the survivors and as a result, when the British Army arrived to liberate Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, the men were confronted with the sight of 10,000 dead bodies left unburied on the ground.

Despite the best efforts of medics, more died in the following weeks as the impact of years of starvation took their toll. In total, at least 30,000 Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and other 'undesirables' died there.

The trip came at the end of the Queen's three-day state visit to Germany, with Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh seen boarding a jet at Celle military airfield which then took off for London.

Earlier, the 89-year-old monarch had been waved off in Berlin by a crowd of thousands of excited well-wishers, among them a little boy dressed as a king.

INSIDE BERGEN-BELSEN: THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP WHERE 80,000 'UNDESIRABLES' DIED

Cruel: A photo taken by a Nazi guard in the camp's heyday showing a group of SS officers cutting off the side-locks of a prisoner

Cruel: A photo taken by a Nazi guard in the camp's heyday showing a group of SS officers cutting off the side-locks of a prisoner

Bergen-Belsen began life in 1935 when the Nazi military selected a site near the small village of Belsen, close to the town of Bergen in Lower Saxony, for a new training complex.

Completed in 1937, it was used to give Wermacht soldiers armoured vehicle training but, after the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, was given a new lease of life as a barracks for prisoners of war.

Initially housed in ramshackle huts, the camp, known as Stalag XI-B, swiftly expanded and was later used for military prisoners from Belgium and France, as well as the Soviet Union.

Expanded further throughout 1941 and 42, the complex eventually came to include four separate camps, most holding Soviet prisoners in conditions so appalling that more than 50,000 died by the end of the War.

In April 1943, parts of the camp were redesignated as an Aufenthaltslager or holding camp for Jewish prisoners whose fate, in theory, was to be exchanged for German nationals captured by Allied Forces.

14,600 Jews, among them more than 2,000 children, were sent there between 1943 and March 1944, when the camp was repurposed again, this time as a Erholungslager - an evacuation camp for Jews marched away from the Polish death camps in the face of the advancing Red Army.

Other Jews were sent there direct, among them diarist Anne Frank who, with her sister Margot, was one of the 9,000 women interred in the specialist women's camp.

By the beginning of 1945, the population of the camp had soared to 60,000 as thousands of exhausted, emaciated prisoners arrived at the end of forced death marches from the eastern network of death camps.

Diseases such as typhus and cholera decimated the survivors and as a result, when the British Army arrived to liberate Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, the men were confronted with the sight of 10,000 dead bodies left unburied on the ground.

Despite the best efforts of medics, more died in the following weeks as the impact of years of starvation took their toll. In total, at least 30,000 Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and other 'undesirables' died there.

Appalling: A photo taken in April 1945 shows some of the 40,000 prisoners discovered by the British Army at the camp

Appalling: A photo taken in April 1945 shows some of the 40,000 prisoners discovered by the British Army at the camp

Aftermath: This photo, taken shortly after the camp was liberated, shows female inmates carrying away some of the victims

Aftermath: This photo, taken shortly after the camp was liberated, shows female inmates carrying away some of the victims

Oops: There was a last minute hitch when the Queen dropped the posy but Prince Philip stepped in to pick it up

Oops: There was a last minute hitch when the Queen dropped the posy but Prince Philip stepped in to pick it up

Coming home: After the doors closed, the jet carrying the Queen and Prince Philip took off bound for London

Coming home: After the doors closed, the jet carrying the Queen and Prince Philip took off bound for London

Royal encounter: Her Majesty smiles as she meets five-year-old Konrad Thelen who had come dressed as a king

Royal encounter: Her Majesty smiles as she meets five-year-old Konrad Thelen who had come dressed as a king

Hello there: The Queen was presented with a number of posies during the walkabout outside the Hotel Adlon in Berlin

Hello there: The Queen was presented with a number of posies during the walkabout outside the Hotel Adlon in Berlin

Impressed: The Queen described little Konrad's outfit as 'marvellous' and told the child's parents that he was 'very well-dressed'

Impressed: The Queen described little Konrad's outfit as 'marvellous' and told the child's parents that he was 'very well-dressed'

Favourite: The Queen was very taken with this proffered teddybear but declined to accept the gift

Favourite: The Queen was very taken with this proffered teddybear but declined to accept the gift

Among them was five-year-old Konrad Thelen, who had waited for hours for a glimpse of the monarch as she left her hotel in Berlin and had come dressed as a king.

Fortunately his patience was rewarded as the sovereign made a beeline for his spot in the crowd, having glimpsed his crown, cape and Union flag. 'He's very well dressed'' she said admiringly to Konrad's parents, who had been invited by the British Council. 'I think you look marvellous.'

Afterwards Konrad looked a little bemused by the attention but said he was 'very happy' to have met her. 'We just cannot believe she came over,' his father said.

Several thousand people had gathered outside Berlin's luxury The Adlon Hotel where the Queen has been staying during her four-day visit to Germany.

She and her husband, Prince Philip, were in the five-star hotel's presidential suite, where pop star Michael Jackson once stayed and infamously dangled his infant son over the balcony.

As she made her way out smartly dressed staff lined the route and a loud cheer went up from the crowd. The Queen was dressed in a daffodil yellow coat by Angela Kelly and a hat that her chief dresser had personally hand-dyed and attached yellow and grey feathers. 

On her way: Her Majesty leaves the Hotel Adlon this morning, accompanied by Berlin mayor Michael Mueller and Prince Philip (right)
On her way: Her Majesty leaves the Hotel Adlon this morning, accompanied by Berlin mayor Michael Mueller and Prince Philip (right)

On her way: Her Majesty leaves the Hotel Adlon this morning, accompanied by Berlin mayor Michael Mueller and Prince Philip (right)

Walkabout: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh walked across the Pariser Platz to the Brandenburg Gate

Walkabout: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh walked across the Pariser Platz to the Brandenburg Gate

Excitement: The Berlin square was crammed with people, all of whom had turned out to see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

Excitement: The Berlin square was crammed with people, all of whom had turned out to see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh

Looking good: The Queen was resplendent in a daffodil yellow ensemble made for her by her personal dressmaker Angela Kelly

Looking good: The Queen was resplendent in a daffodil yellow ensemble made for her by her personal dressmaker Angela Kelly

Royal wave: The Queen waves to the cheering crowds in the Pariser Platz en route to the Brandenburg Gate

Royal wave: The Queen waves to the cheering crowds in the Pariser Platz en route to the Brandenburg Gate

Popular: Her Majesty's state visit to Germany has attracted huge amounts of attention and similarly enormous crowds

Popular: Her Majesty's state visit to Germany has attracted huge amounts of attention and similarly enormous crowds

Enjoying the acclaim: Her Majesty appeared delighted with the rapturous reception she received from the locals

Enjoying the acclaim: Her Majesty appeared delighted with the rapturous reception she received from the locals

Surrounded: The Queen smiles at Mayor Michael Mueller as she meets well-wishers in the Pariser Platz

Surrounded: The Queen smiles at Mayor Michael Mueller as she meets well-wishers in the Pariser Platz

All smiles: Even Her Majesty's security detail appeared to be enjoying the event, as did Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond

All smiles: Even Her Majesty's security detail appeared to be enjoying the event, as did Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond

During her first and only walkabout of the visit, the monarch spent around five minutes collecting flowers and chatting with wellwishers. She appeared particularly taken with a giant bear being held out by a member of the crowd, although declined to take it.

Heike Lakeman was shaking as she met the monarch: 'I told her it was an honour to see her, but I can't remember what she said as I was shaking so much.'

Matthias Burler had flown in from Frankfurt to see her: 'I feel so honoured, she is a marvellous person - although so tiny in the flesh,' he said. Among the crowds were Christian Schnellecke, 39, and Lucian Schutt, 44, who had dressed in mornings suits for the occasion.

The pair had queued since 5.15am to catch a glimpse of the Queen and hand her their posy.

Asked why they had gone to such effort, Mr Schnellecke, from Berlin, said: 'We are fascinated here by British culture and have enormous respect for the Queen. She is an institution who has conducted herself with enormous dignity on the world stage. '

The Queen then stepped into her burgundy Bentley and set off under the Iconic Brandenburg Gate en route to Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.

Surrounded: The Queen walks through a throng of people on Pariser Platz, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh

Surrounded: The Queen walks through a throng of people on Pariser Platz, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh

And she's off! The Queen waves goodbye to the crowd as she prepares to climb into her official Bentley limousine

And she's off! The Queen waves goodbye to the crowd as she prepares to climb into her official Bentley limousine

Ready to go: The car was waiting on the other side of Pariser Platz close to the Brandenburg Gate

Ready to go: The car was waiting on the other side of Pariser Platz close to the Brandenburg Gate

Stunning: The iconic Berlin landmark used to form part of the dividing line separating the Communist East from the West

Stunning: The iconic Berlin landmark used to form part of the dividing line separating the Communist East from the West

On her way: The Queen climbs into the official car, which was flying the Royal Standard, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh

On her way: The Queen climbs into the official car, which was flying the Royal Standard, followed by the Duke of Edinburgh

Delighted: Both the Queen and Prince Philip appeared delighted by the rapturous reception they received

Delighted: Both the Queen and Prince Philip appeared delighted by the rapturous reception they received

Driving away: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are given a rousing send off by the assembled crowds

Driving away: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are given a rousing send off by the assembled crowds

Bye bye Berlin: The Queen's car drives away en route to the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen - liberated by the British in 1945

Bye bye Berlin: The Queen's car drives away en route to the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen - liberated by the British in 1945

Historic: The visit to the concentration camp, where an estimated 70,000 people lost their lives, is a first for the Queen

Historic: The visit to the concentration camp, where an estimated 70,000 people lost their lives, is a first for the Queen


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