Italy state visit: King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed to Rome with fly-past

King Charles and Queen Camilla were given a stunning welcome to Rome on day two of their state visit to Italy on Tuesday.

A joint flyover filled the sky with streams of red, white, blue and green as jets from the UK’s Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, flew alongside the Italian Air Force’s acrobatic squad, Frecce Tricolori.

The British royals watched the display over the Italian capital from Quirinale Palace, alongside President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella.

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Since becoming a widower in 2012, Mattarella, Italy’s longest serving president, attends official engagements with his daughter.

Tuesday’s ceremonial welcome, the first formal event of a state visit, saw the King and Queen escorted to the palace by a group of more than 30 mounted presidential guards.

They were then greeted by Mattarella and his daughter in the palace’s courtyard before the British and Italian National Anthems were played and the Union Jack flag was raised on the turret.

Mattarella and His Majesty inspected the guard of honour in the courtyard before the four of them made their way inside the palace to view the flypast from the terrace.

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Following formal photos and meetings inside Quirinale Palace, Charles and Camilla ventured out and about, playing tourists as they visited some of Rome’s most recognisable monuments.

Their Majesties paid a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in Piazza Venezia, where they laid a wreath.

In the Colosseum Piazza, the British royals met a group of schoolchildren and were greeted by a cheering crowd of locals and tourists.

“I came here specifically to see the royals. … It’s very emotional because it’s the first time I’ve seen them,” said Samuele Tassinari, an 18-year-old student visiting from the northern city of Bologna.

“We saw them earlier on their way to the Quirinale, and now we saw them go by in their usual Bentley, which they also have in London. It was very exciting.”

The royals enjoyed a special tour of the Colosseum as the band of the Welsh Guards and the Sassari Brigade Band played in unison as a celebration of relationships between the UK and Italy.

Their Majesties went up the stairs to the Colosseum viewing platform, on the edge of the Temple of Venus and Rome.

King Charles then made his way to the side of Temple of Venus and Rome, where he met with a group of archaeologists, as well as archaeology students from Rome Universities and the British School at Rome.

Queen Camilla meanwhile met with founders of three charities, including one providing help for those with drug addiction, another helping families with cancer and a third, and possibly the closest to Her Majesty’s heart, a non-profit supporting women who are victims of domestic violence and of human trafficking.

The King and Queen were reunited later near the Arch of Titus, where they got a history lesson from TV presenter and historian Alberto Angela.

Later in the day, the couple were set to attend a reception with members of the British-Italian community at Villa Wolkonsky, the home of the British Ambassador to Italy and San Marino in Rome.

Wednesday marks the royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary, with Mattarella hosting a state banquet at the Quirinale Palace on Wednesday evening.

His Majesty 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, King 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.

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Charles and Camilla’s 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.

– Reported with Associated Press.

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