King Charles makes history during state visit to Italy on his 20th wedding anniversary

King Charles and Queen Camilla have marked their 20th wedding anniversary during their state visit to Italy, but that wasn’t the only milestone they were celebrating.

His Majesty addressed a joint sitting of both the Upper and Lower Houses (Senate and Deputies, respectively) in Italian Parliament on Wednesday, becoming the first British monarch to do so.

The 76-year-old is also only the fourth non-Italian (and third royal) to address the Chamber from the President’s podium, following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II, King Juan Carlos of Spain and his son King Felipe VI of Spain.

READ MORE: Charles and Camilla mark 20th anniversary with new video

The King made his speech in a combination of English and Italian and was said to have “been worried about his Italian and been practising”, according to royal reporter Chris Ship.

King Charles made fun of his Italian speaking skills and referenced his wedding anniversary during his charming speech.

“It means a very great deal to the Queen and myself to return to Italy for our first visit since my accession,” His Majesty said in Italian.

“The timing is all the more special to us both since today also marks our twentieth wedding anniversary.

READ MORE: Why Meghan’s lifestyle brand won’t be impacted by tariffs

“And by the way I hope I’m not ruining Dante’s language so much that I’m no never invited to Italy again.”

King Charles gave a wide-reaching speech, mentioning climate change and the war in Ukraine but also poked fun at British biscuits and “corrupting” Italian cuisine in the UK.

”We have benefitted hugely from your influence over what we wear, what we drink and what we eat,” the King said.

“I can only hope you will forgive us for occasionally corrupting your wonderful cuisine! We do so with the greatest possible affection.”

The monarch also joked about how the Romans inspired the British monetary system.

“It was the Romans who gave Britons the idea of putting a King’s head on coins – so I am especially grateful to them,” he said.

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at Palazzo Montecitorio, the lower house of parliament, to a guard of honour and were welcomed by the presidents of each chamber.

They were taken inside where they met a select group of politicians from each house before taking to the Chamber.

While King Charles gave his speech from the ‘Benches of the Presidency’, Queen Camilla watched on from the nearby ‘Benches of Nine’.

As they walked back from parliament to their car, they met well-wishers and were given gelato from a local ice-cream shop.

For the outing, Queen Camilla wore a dress that might look familiar to some – the same she wore to her civil wedding ceremony at Guildhall in Windsor, 20 years ago to the day.

The engagement was part way through a busy third day of the royal tour.

King Charles met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Villa Doria Pamphili first thing in the morning.

This was followed by a visit to Mattatoio, a drama academy, where he watched a short performance of Shakespeare’s Othello in Italian before meeting with students.

Queen Camilla undertook solo duties at the same time, visiting local public school Istituto Comprensivo Alessandro Manzoni, to celebrate the 80th birthday of the British Council in Italy.

Her Majesty, who is an advocate for literacy and reading, presented certificates to three winners of the British Council’s literary competition.

For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here

All the defining photos of the British royal family in 2025

The group of 70 students then sang Happy Birthday in English and Italian for the British Council in Italy, before Queen Camilla cut a large cake.

The royal didn’t arrive empty handed either, presenting the headteacher with a selection of books.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will have a few hours of rest before attending a state banquet held in their honour at the Italian President’s residence, Palazzo Quirinale.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.