King Charles warns Europe can 'never take peace for granted' as he makes historic address to Italy's parliament

9 April 2025, 17:43

The King issued a stark warning that Europe can “never take peace for granted” as he gave a historic address to Italy’s parliament on Wednesday.

Charles, who is on a four-day state visit to Italy alongside his wife Camilla, made history by becoming the first British monarch to address both houses of the country’s parliament.

He put peace in Europe at the centre of his address, warning that, now more than ever, the lessons of World War Two need to be remembered.

He said: “Today, sadly, the echoes of those times, which we fervently hope had been consigned to history, reverberate across our continent.

Read more: Charles and Camilla celebrate 20th wedding anniversary as guests of honour at state banquet Italy

“Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted.”

The King told the politicians in the Chamber of Deputies in Rome: “Britain and Italy stand today united in defence of the democratic values we share.”

Charles, who recently had a brief stay in hospital after temporary side-effects from his cancer treatment, added: “So I am here today with one purpose: to reaffirm the deep friendship between the United Kingdom and Italy, and to pledge to do all in my power to strengthen that friendship even further in the time that is granted to me as King,” he said.

He spoke about Italy’s impact on the UK and highlighted the European ties between the two Nato allies.

Charles said: “We have benefitted hugely from your influence over what we wear, what we drink and what we eat.”

He made them laugh when he added: “I can only hope you will forgive us for occasionally corrupting your wonderful cuisine. We do so with the greatest possible affection.

“So we are two peoples, and two nations, whose stories are deeply intertwined – including, of course, with that of our European continent.

“We are both, after all, European countries.”

There have been reports that the King will have to tone down his support for net-zero commitments after opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said it would be “impossible” for the UK to meet its target by 2050.

But Charles spoke passionately about threats facing the planet, highlighting a speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how the “warnings” he made then about the “urgency of the climate challenge” were “depressingly being borne out by events”.

He said extreme storms “normally seen once in a generation” are now an issue every year, and “countless precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lifetimes”.

Sections of the speech were delivered in Italian, and in a lighter moment the King referenced his wedding anniversary, telling the politicians from the chamber of deputies and the senate of the republic in their own language: “The timing is all the more special to us both since today also marks our 20th wedding anniversary.

“And by the way, I hope I’m not ruining Dante’s language so much that I’m never invited to Italy again.”