King Charles jokes about his health as he and Queen Camilla wrap up state visit to Italy

King Charles and Queen Camilla have finished their state visit to Italy, with a jam-packed fourth and final day in Ravenna.

Before jumping onto their royal jet for the one hour and five minute flight north, King Charles kicked off Thursday with a tree-planting ceremony in Rome, where he joked about his health.

“Well I do hope that I shall live long enough to see a little bit of growth in the tree,” the monarch, who is receiving ongoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, said at Villa Wolkonsky.

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The keen gardener also noticed the sapling, donated by Italian President Sergio Mattarella from the Castelporziano Estate, needed more water.

He pointed out his concerns to aides as he unveiled a commemorative plaque in the gardens of the British ambassador’s official residence in Rome, where the royal couple stayed during their visit.

Embassy staff gathered on the lawn during the engagement, which was also a chance for King Charles to meet representatives from Circular Bioeconomy Alliance.

He heard about their work in Italy and their research into biodiversity, climate and human health.

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His Majesty was then joined by Queen Camilla as they travelled to Ravenna, in the country’s north, where thousands gathered to greet the British royals.

King Charles laughed it off when a young boy asked him to autograph a football jersey, with members of the British royal family famously not able to give out their signature.

Queen Camilla accepted cards and shook hands from well-wishers, who congratulated the couple on their 20th wedding anniversary a day earlier.

The royals arrived in Piazza San Francesco, where they visited Dante’s Tomb after attending an interactive performance of XXXIII Paradise, the closing canto of the Divine Comedy.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are understood to be fans of the famous poet and posed in front of the tomb before exiting the site.

The royal couple then undertook solo engagements with the King visiting Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, viewing their fifth- and sixth-century mosaics and meeting artisans who are keeping the ancient art form alive.

In the meantime, Queen Camilla took a tour of the Byron Museum at Palazzo Guiccioli.

Her Majesty, who is a self-professed book lover, was invited to give a reading of a poem in English while a professor did the same in Italian.

Queen Camilla, who has the charity The Queen’s Reading Room, met with authors, bookshop owners, librarians, publishers and teachers in the museum’s courtyard before gifting a selection of books to two local organisations – a local school and a library.

The King and Queen were then reunited at Ravenna’s town hall for a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by allied forces, exactly 80 years ago to the day.

British and Canadian troops were amongst the allied forces that liberated the city and as a token of gratitude both British and Canadian flags have flown in Ravenna town hall since 1946.

While at the town hall, the royals greeted the large crowds from the balcony, waving as they stood alongside Mattarella and his daughter Laura, who joined them in Ravenna.

British and Canadian military stationed in Italy were present for the commemoration, for which King Charles donned his medals on the breast of his suit.

Queen Camilla again wore a white dress, a day after rewearing her wedding dress to mark her anniversary.

But Thursday’s outfit choice seemed particularly bold as Her Majesty took part in a pasta-making exercise.

The royal couple met local producers and organisations at a traditional Emilia-Romagna market in Piazza del Popolo, including traditional pasta and piadine makers.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla again did the divide and conquer manoeuvre to meet as many people as possible in the short space of time they had.

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

They were then presented with a mosaic gift from local art school, the Accademia delle Belle Arti, depicting their coronation – a piece the King had placed the final tile into earlier in the day, during his visit to the basilica.

After being treated to some traditional entertainment to round out the afternoon, King Charles and Queen Camilla departed for the airport.

They were treated to some pomp and circumstance at Forli Airport, including a small guard of honour, for their send-off following the four-day visit to Italy.

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