1940s

23.08.1946 The founding of the States of Gründung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hannover und Schleswig-Holstein
The British military government dissolved the former Prussian provinces and founded the States of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hanover (later Lower Saxony) and Schleswig-Holstein. (mehr …)

01.01.1949 Chairman of the Governing Board
From 1949 until 1968, the Chairman of the Governing Board is Prof. Dr. Emil Lehnratz.

 

09.04.1949 The founding of the German-English Society  On the initiative of Lilo Milchsack and six other Dusseldorf citizens, the German-English Society was established in Wittlaer (near Dusseldorf). They were supported by Sir Robert Birley who was then the Education Adviser to the British Military Government of Germany. On 19th April 1949, the German-English Society was formally registered in the associations register at the Dusseldorf District Court.

1950s

1950s: In the 1950s, the German question always came up in connection with the Cold war.

1950: The Königswinter conference took place for the first time in the Adam Stegerwald House near Bonn. The topic of the conversation among the present German and British social workers was the improvement of the living conditions of the working class after the end of the war.

01.01.1950 The founding of regional working group
The first regional working group was founded in Essen.

1951: From this date the German-English conferences are held annually. The second conference, entitled “The Role and Responsibility of the Press in a Democracy,” received much attention in both countries, as major newspapers such as The Time, the Daily Telegraph, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung were present.

1952: A debate about the British Island and the Continent arose for the first time among political, economic, and intellectual leaders from Germany and Britain.

 

1960s

In the early 1960s: An informal dialogue of an annual English-German dialogue in the course of the Young Königswinter Conference emerged on the success story of Königswinter in the early 1960s. Within this framework, executives from both countries were brought together.

01.07.1962 The first “German-English Youth Conference”
The first Berlin “German-English Youth Conference” (today the Young Königswinter Conference) took place in Berlin under the leadership of the German-British Youth Exchange (der Deutsch-Britische Jugendaustausch).

01.01.1964 Königswinter Conference in Great Britain
For the first time, the Königswinter Conference took place in Great Britain, Oxford. The conference convened in Oxford, rather than in Königswinter, for the first time. In contrast to the Königswinter conference, the first young Königswinter conference took place in 1964 in Oxford.

1965: Since then, government ministers regularly attend the annual Königswinter conferences to give a speech at least after dinner.

1966: The Königswinter was cancelled only once, in 1966, due to new elections in the UK, otherwise it took place year after year since 1950.

1968: Frank Roberts was appointed to the first Chairman of the newly established British Steering Committee, which has acted since then as a counterpart to the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft in organizing the conference.

01.01.1969 Chairman of the Governing Board
From 1969 until 1977, the Chairman of the Governing Board is Hans von Herwarth †, Ambassador (ret.)

 

1970s

1970: On the initiative of Mr. Roberts, the Königswinter conference took place for the second time in Cambridge. He had known Lilo Milchsack since 1951 and supported from the beginning her work at the Foreign Office.

1973: After a third successful application for membership of the EEC, following the resignation of De Gaulle, Britain finally had every reason to celebrate in Königswinter.

01.01.1975 Trademark “Königswinter Conference”
Since 1975, the annual “Königswinter Conference” alternates between Great Britain (Oxford/Cambridge) and Germany. Following the 1974 conference held in Edinburgh, the “Königswinter Conference” has become a trademark.

1979: Finally, in 1979, there was an important change. A panel discussion brought together parliamentarians representing all major parties in the host country. This gave the guest delegation a good insight into the domestic debates which formed the background of foreign policy.

1980s

1980: In 1980, the Foreign Office and the Auswärtiges Amt together succeeded in rescheduling the date for the European Council meeting, so that both Thatcher and Schmidt could attend the conference.   

01.01.1982 Chairman of the Governing Board                   

When Lilo Milchsack stepped down, a succession of retired German diplomats took over the presidency of Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft: Karl-Günther von Hase, Jürgen Ruhfus, Herrmann Freiherr von Richthofen, Gebhardt von Moltke and Hans-Henning Horstmann (With the one exception of the liberal peer Lord Watson of Richmond, the Steering Committee has always been chaired by a former British Ambassador to Germany. 

There was an interruption of the conference in Cambridge with the consequence that all present British delegates and senior officials had to return to London. Almost all of them were finally able to return to the Königswinter Conference after a debate in the House of Commons and could inform afterwards the remaining German participants about the situation in the Falkland Islands.

 

1985 Königswinter Conference
The 35th Königswinter Conference was held from 21–23 March 1985 at the Adam Stegerwald Haus. The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Richard von Weizsäcker, attented as an honorary guest.

01.01.1987 Head Office in Bonn
The German-British Society relocated its main office from Dusseldorf to Bonn.

07.06.1989 The Society’s 40th anniversary (further images)
The German-English Society celebrated its 40th anniversary at the Industrie-Club in Dusseldorf.

1990s

1990: A meeting of Margaret Thatcher and Helmut Kohl took place during the Königswinter Conference. For the Germans this conference was of enormous importance after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the upcoming German reunification.

01.01.1990 Annual Youth Exchange
In the 1990s, as part of the “Jugendbrücke” (Youth Bridge) project, the German-English Society together with the British-German Association (BGA), organised annual exchanges between British and East German high school pupils, who stayed with local families. There was also the founding of regional working groups in the new Federal States.

01.01.1991 Königswinter Conference in Dresden
The Königswinter Conference took place in the East German city of Dresden and it had a great significance for the Germans as it was the first conference on German soil.

27.05.1992 The death of Lilo Milchsack
Lilo Milchsack the founder of the German-English Society dies at the age of 88.

01.10.1992 The Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
During their state visit, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were received by the German-English Society’s governing board, advisory board and sponsors at the British Ambassador’s residence in Bonn.

 

 

01.01.1993 Chairman of the Governing Board
From 1993 until 1998, the Chairman of the Governing Board is Dr. Jürgen Ruhfus †, Ambassador (ret.)

01.01.1994 The 40th anniversary of the Society
The German-English Society’s regional Group in Berlin celebrated its 40th anniversary. The chamber orchestra from the Berlin University of the Arts (formerly the Hochschule der Künste Berlin) performed at the celebration and was conducted by former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.

01.01.1995 The founding of Königswinter Foundation
On the initiative of Dr. Marcus Bierich, the Königswinter Foundation was established.

1996: Thanks to the newly founded Königswinter Foundation, the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft e.V. received a constant but limited financial support, with contributions from several well-known cooperations and banks.

01.10.1997 Königswinter Conference in Berlin
The Königswinter Conference took place for the first time in Berlin. The German Federal President Roman Herzog received the conference participants at the Bellevue Palace.

 

01.01.1998 The Founding of the Young Königswinter Conference
The former participants of the Young Königswinter Conference founded the “Young Königswinter Alumni” Association. From 1998 until 2003, the Chairman of the Governing Board was Dr. Hermann Frhr. von Richthofen, Ambassador (ret)

1998 was also the year The German-English Society relocated its main office from Bonn to Berlin.

09.01.1999 The Society’s 50th anniversary
26.4.1999: The official ceremony took place in the Berlin Cathedral 27.4.1999: The opening of the exhibition “Views of Germany” from the Royal Collection in Windsor castle in the Glienicke Palace. Among the guests, the event was attended by the Duke of Kent.

2000s

2000: Tony Blair and Gerhard Schröder both took part at the Königswinter conference.
2000: Tony Blair und Gerhard Schröder nahmen beide an der Königswinter-Konferenz teil.

01.01.2001 Official ceremony: The 100th Anniversary of the death of Empress Friedrich
Official ceremony to mark the 100th Anniversary of the death of Empress Friedrich the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and the widow of the German Emperor Friedrich III.

16.02.2001 The First Economic Königswinter
Since 2001, the Economic Königswinter Conference has alternated annually between Germany and the United Kingdom. While the 21st conference was held in London in 2023, earlier UK meetings have also taken place at Ditchley Park.

At the annual General Meeting, it was decided to rename the Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft (German-English Society) into the Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft (German-British Society).

18.03.2002 Plaque unveiling
A plaque in honour of Lilo Milchsack the founder of the society is unveiled at the Carsch-Haus in Dusseldorf. It is here, in the former English cultural centre “die Brücker “ (the bridge), where the society held its events and lectures until the 1970s.

01.01.2003 Gebhardt von Moltke
From 2003 until 2013, the Chairman of the Governing Board is Gebhardt von Moltke, Ambassador (ret.)

01.11.2004 State visit
The Governing Board and the Advisory Board are invited to attend a concert in the Berlin Philharmonic, as part of Her Majesty’s Queen Elizabeth II State Visit to Germany

01.01.2009 The Society’s 60th anniversary
The 60th anniversary of the German British/English society is celebrated in Dusseldorf.

2010s

2011: the Defence and Security Königswinter Conference was established, in which members of the British and German security community and the military met.

01.01.2013-2021 Hans-Henning Horstmann
From 2013 until 2021, the Chairman of the Governing Board is Hans-Henning Horstmann, Ambassador (ret)

2013: David Cameron announced that he would hold a referendum on membership of the EU. Following this, the disagreement over Europe widened. This was followed by an increasingly divisive split within the British delegations, which led to new momentum in Britain’s European policy.

2014, the MP Douglas Carswell, representative of the Eurosceptic side, caused a public stir after participating in the Königswinter conference with the resignation of the Tory whip. His experience in the Königswinter had convinced him to reorientate and join the UKIP.

23.06.2016 The EU Referendum
In a nationwide referendum, British voters voted by 51.9% to 48.1% in favour of leaving the European Union. The result marked a turning point in UK–EU relations and initiated the Brexit process.

29.03.2017 Theresa May triggers Article 50 EUV
After 44 years of membership in the European Union, the British government formally notified the European Council in Brussels on 29 March 2017 of the United Kingdom’s intention to leave the Union. This activated Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and thereby initiated the withdrawal process.

2017-2019: The last three conferences that followed the British vote of EU membership have shown how great the scale of the challenges Brexit will face for the Anglo-German relationship, in case it actually comes to a Brexit.

2020s

31 January 2020: Britain leaves the EU (Brexit)
The United Kingdom officially left the European Union after 47 years of membership, ending decades of political and economic integration with the bloc.

31 May 2021: Thomas Matussek, Ambassador (ret.) is elected as Chairman of the Governing Board
Thomas Matussek, a retired German ambassador and experienced diplomat, was elected Chairman of the Governing Board. In this role, he became responsible for overseeing the organization’s strategic direction, governance, and long-term development.

8 September 2022: Death of Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle, ending her 70-year reign as Britain’s longest-serving monarch. She was succeeded by her son, King Charles III.

March 2023: State Visit of King Charles III to Germany
King Charles III made his first state visit to Germany as monarch, reinforcing UK–German relations in the post-Brexit context and focusing on diplomatic reconciliation, environmental sustainability, and closer bilateral cooperation.

6 May 2023: Coronation of King Charles III
King Charles III was officially crowned in Westminster Abbey, marking the ceremonial beginning of his reign as monarch of the United Kingdom.

19 November 2024: 75th Anniversary of the German-British Society

The German-British Society celebrated its 75th anniversary with a formal ceremony at the Würth House in Berlin-Schwanenwerder. The event honoured the Society’s long history of promoting dialogue, friendship, and cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom.

30th June 2025: New Chairwoman of the Governing Board
Anne Ruth Herkes was elected as the new Chairwoman of the Governing Board, with John Kampfner appointed as Vice Chair.

17 July 2025 – Signing of the Kensington Treaty:
The United Kingdom and Germany signed the Kensington Treaty in London, creating the first major bilateral friendship treaty between the two countries. It strengthened cooperation in defence, security, trade, migration, science, education, and culture, while improving economic ties and joint military planning. The treaty was significant because it marked a new phase in UK–Germany relations after Brexit, demonstrating both countries’ commitment to working together to address shared challenges such as European security, economic growth, and international stability.

December 2025: Visit of the German Federal President to the United Kingdom
The German Federal President paid an official visit to the United Kingdom, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and advancing political cooperation in the post-Brexit context.