The three-day trip is a state visit -- the first by a German president in 27 years -- and will take in a Windsor Castle state banquet and a speech to parliament, a rare honour for a foreign visitor.

Aside from the pomp and ceremony, Steinmeier will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks set to focus on joint support for Ukraine against Russia, the driving theme of closer co-operation between London and Berlin.

Steinmeier is reciprocating a 2023 state visit by King Charles III to Germany, his first as monarch.

A source in Steinmeier's office said the visit reflects "a new era in relations between our two countries".

After a post-Brexit period in which "Great Britain distanced itself from Europe... we now have the impression that they are moving back", the source said.

Steinmeier was foreign minister at the time of the Brexit referendum and had choice words back then for the "irresponsible politicians" who "lured" the country into leaving the EU, branding their behaviour "outrageous".

However, ties across the English Channel began to improve under Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak and have continued to grow under his centre-left successor Keir Starmer.

The state visit comes as both the German and British governments are under pressure from hard-right, anti-immigration parties -- the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Eurosceptic Reform UK Party led by Nigel Farage.

- 'Apprehension' over future -

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the frequent political turmoil sparked by the Trump administration have led key European powers to forge closer ties, including World War I and II-era foes Germany and Britain.

In October 2024 the UK and Germany -- western Europe's two biggest military spenders -- signed a defence pact, followed by their first "friendship treaty" in July.

"The core of the relationship is in the security and foreign policy field," said Nicolai von Ondarza from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

But despite the closer ties in recent years, Ondarza told AFP, "the UK is still much less present in German political debate than it has been in the past".

While there is room for the UK to move closer to its neighbours, he said, in Berlin "there is an apprehension that the current Labour government won't be courageous enough to move further on cooperation with the EU", as Farage rises in the polls.

This year's friendship treaty also included agreements on preventing irregular migration and promoting cultural and educational exchanges.

- Bombed cathedral -

Historical remembrance will be a prominent part of Steinmeier's visit, which on Friday takes him to Coventry, a city devastated by German air raids in World War II.

The president will lay a wreath at the city's cathedral, joined by members of the Luftwaffe and British servicemen to underline the countries' close military ties today.

There will also be a meeting with school students from Coventry and Dresden, one of the German cities most heavily bombed by the wartime Allies.

Steinmeier will then move on to Oxford, where he will receive an honorary doctorate and visit the premises of a subsidiary of German industrial giant Siemens.

Representatives from Siemens and several other heavyweight German companies such as BMW, Deutsche Bank and RWE will form part of Steinmeier's delegation.

Mercedes will take the opportunity to announce a pound20 million ($26.4 million) electric vehicle technology project expected to create 150 jobs in the UK.

The two countries' shared passion for football will be reflected on Thursday when German stars Per Mertesacker and Kai Havertz, a forward for London club Arsenal, join Steinmeier on a visit to a school in east London.

jsk/fz/sbk

Siemens

BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG

Deutsche Bank

RWE

Mercedes-Benz Group