King Charles and Camilla to kick-off Italy tour following postponement amid health concerns
7 April 2025, 05:46
The King and Queen will begin a four-day state visit to Italy, where they will celebrate the UK’s ties with the European nation.
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Charles and Camilla will visit Rome and the city of Ravenna, as they use the “soft power” diplomacy of the monarchy to strengthen Britain’s relationship with its ally.
A separate state visit to the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, in the Vatican, has been cancelled, as Pope Francis is recuperating after leaving hospital following treatment for double pneumonia.
With a number of Vatican events removed from the itinerary in Rome, the remaining engagements in the Italian capital have been spread over two days, and extra elements added to some engagements.
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At the weekend the Pope made a surprise appearance in St Peter’s Square, in the Vatican. He appeared with an oxygen tube under his nose and was using a wheelchair.
Charles will become the first British monarch to address both houses of Italy’s parliament – the chamber of deputies and the senate of the republic.
The King will also hold audiences with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and he and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president on the evening of their 20th wedding anniversary.
The UK and Italy’s defence co-operation will be marked by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian air force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.
In Ravenna, near Bologna, Charles and Camilla will mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by allied forces, on April 10 1945, during a town hall reception.
They will celebrate literary culture by visiting Dante’s tomb and the Queen will make a solo trip to the Byron museum.
