ROME (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla met Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Tuesday, the second day of a state visit to Italy that marks his first overseas trip since he was briefly hospitalized for side effects from his cancer treatment.
Charles and Camilla were escorted to the Quirinale Palace by a group of mounted presidential guards and were greeted by Mattarella in the palace’s courtyard.
The Royal visit was also celebrated with a joint flyover the presidential palace by the Italian air force’s aerobatic team, known as Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.
Mattarella will host a state banquet for the British monarchs at the Quirinale Palace on Wednesday evening, which also marks the Royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary.
King Charles will also meet Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday, before addressing a joint session of the Italian Parliament in the afternoon, the first time a British monarch has done so.
In Rome, Charles will highlight the close links between Britain and Italy, two NATO allies, at a time when European nations are working to bolster support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia..
Charles and Camilla’s three-day visit will also include a side trip to Ravenna, in the Emilia Romagna northern region, on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Adriatic city’s liberation by Allied forces.
The royals will celebrate the cuisine of the region and meet with local farmers devastated by floods that recently hit the area.
“The visit to Italy will underscore the depth and breadth of the bilateral relationship,’’ the Royal palace said in a statement.
