In June last year, a speech by the Queen in Germany was interpreted by some as expressing a pro-EU view. During a state banquet in Berlin in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister David Cameron, the Queen said "division in Europe is dangerous" and that the continent must strive to "maintain the benefits of the post-war world". At the banquet at the Bellevue Palace, the official residence of the German president, the Queen said: “The United Kingdom has always been closely involved in its Continent. Even when our main focus was elsewhere in the world, our people played a key part in Europe. “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.” Buckingham Palace said then that the speech, on the eve of a Brussels summit, was not intended to make any political point about the future of the union. "The Queen's speech speaks for itself on the threats of division and the benefits of unity," a Palace spokesman said at the time. "As ever, the Queen is above politics and is politically neutral on the EU."