The Queen has spoken out on the need for unity in Europe in a speech to German and UK leaders.
The UK monarch, who was at a state banquet in Berlin as part of a four-day visit to Germany, said that “division in Europe is dangerous”.
Her speech was made in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron, who wants to reform the UK’s EU membership.
Buckingham Palace stressed the comments were not about Mr Cameron’s EU aims reports BBC.
Ms Merkel and Mr Cameron earlier met for talks ahead of an EU summit in Brussels.
The Queen, who as UK head of state stays politically neutral, told the banquet in Bellevue Palace, the official residence of Germany’s president Joachim Gauck: “In our lives, we have seen the worst but also the best of our continent.
“We have witnessed how quickly things can change for the better.
“But we know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the post-war world.
“We know that division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the west, as well as in the east, of our continent. That remains a common endeavour.”
Later a Buckingham Palace aide said: “This is not about the EU. The queen is apolitical. She would never make a political point.”