Rome Welcomes King Charles and Queen Camilla for Historic State Visit
April 7, 2025, 12:12 PM PDT — Rome rolled out the red carpet Monday morning as King Charles III and Queen Camilla touched down at Ciampino Airport, kicking off a four-day state visit to Italy. The royal couple, greeted by Italian F-35 fighter jets escorting their plane over the Eternal City, waved to a throng of media and onlookers before departing for Villa Wolkonsky, the British ambassador’s residence, where they’ll stay during their time in the capital. The visit, blending diplomacy, history, and a touch of romance, coincides with their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday, April 9.
The King, 76, and Queen, 77, emerged from their aircraft just after 8:30 a.m. PDT (5:30 p.m. local time), with the Royal Standard and Italian flag fluttering from the cockpit. Charles, dapper in a navy suit, and Camilla, elegant in a teal coat and hat, were met by British Ambassador Edward Llewellyn and Italian dignitaries amid a crisp spring breeze. Posts on X captured the moment, with one user noting, “King Charles and Queen Camilla have just touched down in Rome for a 4-day state visit. Engagements start tomorrow 👑 🇮🇹.” Another hailed it as a “historic arrival,” reflecting the buzz around the first Italian state visit of Charles’s reign.
A Packed Itinerary with Diplomatic Weight
The visit, originally set to include a Vatican stopover, was scaled back after Pope Francis’s recent 38-day hospital stay prompted a mutual postponement of their April 8 audience. Buckingham Palace confirmed the change on March 25, with Charles penning a recovery note to the 88-year-old pontiff. Instead, the royal couple will focus on Rome and Ravenna, championing the “strong bilateral relationship” between the U.K. and Italy, a palace spokesperson said. Tuesday’s highlight includes Charles becoming the first British monarch to address the Italian Parliament—a speech expected to underscore shared values post-Brexit and collaboration on defense, like the Global Combat Air Programme.
In Rome, the couple will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and attend a glittering state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by President Sergio Mattarella. Camilla, known for her literacy advocacy, will also engage with local cultural figures. On Wednesday—their anniversary—they’ll enjoy a private moment amid official duties before heading to Ravenna. There, they’ll mark the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation at a Town Hall reception, meeting flood-affected farmers and celebrating Emilia-Romagna’s culinary heritage.
A Royal Romance Meets Roman History
The timing adds a personal layer to the diplomatic mission. Charles and Camilla, married on April 9, 2005, in Windsor, will toast two decades together in a city synonymous with timelessness. “A quick wave to the Italian media and they’re off,” one X post observed, hinting at the couple’s packed schedule. Their last joint visit to Italy was in 2017 as Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, but this marks their first as King and Queen since Charles’s accession in September 2022—a milestone shadowed by his ongoing cancer treatment, which briefly hospitalized him in March.
Despite health concerns, Charles has kept a robust pace since resuming duties in April 2024. “The Italians fear the fuss in Rome,” one X user quipped, nodding to the logistical dance of hosting royalty amid Trump’s tariff-driven market chaos and a global spotlight on the monarchy. For Romans, it’s a spectacle; for the royals, a chance to weave personal history with statecraft. As one palace aide told People, “Nothing sends a message of resilience like a busy state visit.” With Ravenna’s historic echoes and Rome’s grandeur, Charles and Camilla’s Italian sojourn promises both pomp and purpose—anniversary candles included.
