The King and Queen visit Italy

Day One

Their Majesties have arrived in Rome to begin their State Visit to Italy. Their Majesties arrived at Ciampino Airport where they were welcomed by British and Italian representatives. 

On arrival, a military band played to welcome The King and Queen to Italy alongside a Guard of Honour. 

Day Two

To begin their second day in Italy, The King and Queen visited the Quirinale Palace, where they were met by the President of the Italian Republic, His Excellency Signor Sergio Mattarella and the President’s daughter, Signora Laura Mattarella.

His Majesty had the opportunity to inspect the Guard of Honour in the courtyard of the Palace before viewing a flypast of the Frecce Tricolori and Red Arrows. 

Inside the Palace, Their Majesties and the President presented their official delegations before going on to a private meeting. 

Following the visit to Quirinale Palace, Their Majesties laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and paid homage to the Fallen. 

His Majesty also paid his respects to the War Flag of the “Granatieri di Sardegna” Regiment, accompanied by the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence. A Guard of Honour comprised 200 Italian service personnel from across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza. 

The King and Queen also met officers and non-commissioned officers from the Carabinieri, Army, Navy, Air Force and Guardia di Finanza; before meeting the UK contingent.

Next, their Majesties visited one of the iconic symbols of Rome, the Colosseum. Here, they heard about Italian cultural heritage work and found out more about the continual restoration work taking place on and around the monument. 

Whilst The King and Queen met members of the public at the Colosseum Piazza, the band of the Welsh Guards and the Sassari Brigade Band played in unison, celebrating the UK-Italy defence and cultural relationships.

Also while at the Colosseum, His Majesty viewed the Temple of Venus and Rome and met a group of archaeologists, including the Architect of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Dr Barbara Nazzaro and a group of archaeology students from Rome Universities and the British School at Rome. 

Meanwhile, Her Majesty, met representatives from Rome-based community organisations such as; MO.D.A.V.I., an association founded in Rome in 1996 to address the problem of drug addiction; Peter Pan Odv, an Italian non-profit organization that provides accommodation and a range of free services to families that come to Rome from across Italy and from abroad to access cancer treatment for children and Differenza Donna, an Italian N.G.O.s supporting women who are victims of domestic violence and of human trafficking.

The King and Queen were then introduced to TV presenter and historian, Mr. Alberto Angela, who explained more about Rome’s history and restoration, including that of the Colosseum.

During the final engagement of the day, The King and Queen attended a reception at Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British ambassador to Italy, with members of the British-Italian community. 

Day Three

Day three, which also marked The King and Queen's 20th Wedding Anniversary, began in the Villa Doria Pamphili where His Majesty was welcomed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. 

The King then moved onto the Mattatoio to hear about the significant influence of Shakespeare on Italian culture from drama students from the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica Silvio d'Amico. 

The Mattatoio, considered to be one of the most significant regenerated industrial buildings in the city, is a former slaughterhouse and was built between 1999 and 1891. Now, the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica carries out some of its teaching in the building, as well as put on shows in its two theatres. 

Whilst at the Mattatoio, His Majesty watched a performance in Italian of an extract from Act I of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ and met with actors who are alumni of the Accademia. 

Meanwhile, The Queen visited a local school, the Instituto Comprensivo Alessandro Manzoni, where she met children who have been taking part in a competition to mark the 80th Anniversary of the British Council. To participate in the competition, children had to describe or imagine a day in the life of their favourite literary characters. 

Her Majesty also joined an English lesson. The children, currently discussing Paddington Bear, spoke to The Queen about what they would put in their suitcases if they were Paddington Bear. 

As an avid reader, The Queen has a strong interest in shining a spotlight on the importance of literacy and has long been recognised as a supporter of literacy in the UK and internationally. As a grandmother, Her Majesty understands the joy of reading, but also the importance of literacy in creating life opportunities.

The King and Queen later visited the Senate of the Italian Republic, meeting the President of the Senate and honouring UK-Italian relations. 

Their Majesties visited the Italian Parliament, where The King gave a speech to a joint session of the Italian Parliament with representatives from both the Upper and Lower Houses, which are of equal authority, in attendance. The speech hailed UK-Italy relations, underlining the deep ties between the two countries.

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.

Read His Majesty's speech in full here.

The speech was the first address by a British Monarch to a joint sitting of the Italian Parliament. His Majesty is only the fourth non-Italian to have addressed the Chamber from the President’s podium.

Following the visit to Parliament, Their Majesties met with members of the public who wished them well on their Twentieth Wedding Anniversary.

To conclude the day, Their Majesties attended a State Banquet at Quirinale Palace, hosted by The President. 

Day Four

On the final day of Their Majesties' State Visit to Italy, The King met representatives of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) to hear more about their work in Italy and the scientific research being carried out in relation to biodiversity, climate and human health. 

His Majesty also planted an oak tree in the gardens of Villa Wolkonsky, which had been donated by President Mattarella from the Castelporziano Estate.

Their Majesties then travelled to Ravenna, where they first visited Dante’s Tomb. Dante Alighieri, Italy’s most famous poet, spent most of his life living in Ravenna and the tomb recognises his significance.

There was also the opportunity to hear a reading of the Divine Comedy, read by Actress and Co-Founder of the Teatro delle Albe, Ms Ermanna Montanari, celebrating the famous poet and his work.  

In the Piazza San Francesco, a local band and school choir performed a traditional regional song, Romagna Mia, as The King and Queen met members of the public. 

Following a visit to the tomb, His Majesty visited the Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, viewing their impressive mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries and meeting artisans who are keeping this ancient art form alive.

In the Basilica grounds, near the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, His Majesty viewed students from Ravenna’s Accademia di Belle Arti (School of Fine Arts) working on contemporary mosaics. The King spoke to students who explained the features of modern mosaics and how they are made. The King was invited to insert the last tile of a mosaic depicting Their Majesties’ Coronation.

Meanwhile, The Queen toured the Byron Museum, uncovering the secrets of the great Romantic poet’s life in Italy, and attended a reception for local book clubs, libraries, book shops and representatives from Her Majesty’s charity “The Queen’s Reading Room”.

The museum, which opened in November 2024, is dedicated to the life and works of Lord George Gordon Byron, who lived in Ravenna from 1819 to 1821. The museum offers a deep dive into Byron's literary contribution and his involvement in the political movements of his time.

Her Majesty met authors, bookshop owners, librarians, publishers, teachers and representatives from the local cultural community to discuss the importance of literacy. There were also two readings of Byron’s poems, one in English and the other in Italian, which were performed. 

Finally, Her Majesty was invited onto the stage to make a donation of books, selected by The Queen’s Reading Room, to two local organisations - the primary school in Roncalceci (a small village close to Ravenna which was severely hit by last year’s floods) and the Holden Library (a youth library project managed by the library of Classense, a nearby town).

Next, Their Majesties attended a reception in the Town Hall, marking the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied Forces, which took place on 10th April 1945 (80 years to the day of Their Majesties’ visit). British and Canadian troops were amongst the Allied forces that liberated the city, and British and Canadian military currently stationed in Italy were present for the commemoration. British and Canadian flags have flown in Ravenna Town Hall since 1946, in gratitude.

From here, The King and Queen proceeded onto the Town Hall’s balcony - the same balcony used by the Italian resistance to celebrate the town’s liberation. The King and Queen were joined on the balcony by President Mattarella and Signora Laura Mattarella.

To mark the end of the State Visit, Their Majesties visited a traditional Emilia-Romagna market in the Piazza del Popolo, the heart of Ravenna, and met local producers and organisations. 

At the first stall in the food market, which showcased traditional pasta and piadine makers from Emilia-Romagna, Her Majesty had the opportunity to make pasta with the sfogline (Italian pasta makers).

The King also met local farmers, whose land and crops have been severely affected by devastating floods which have hit the Ravenna region in recent years.

The King and Queen then watched a Liscio performance (an Emilia-Romagna musical tradition).