King Charles III and Queen Camilla posed in front of the Colosseum in Rome Tuesday and greeted thousands of well-wishers on the first full day of a state visit to Italy.
The four-day trip comes less than a fortnight after Charles, 76, was briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.
The royals, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday in Rome, were met by applauding crowds at the ancient gladiator battleground.
They shook hands and chatted with flag-waving schoolchildren and snap-happy tourists gathered along the route between the Arch of Constantine and the Temple of Venus and Rome.
Romolo Testa, a 19-year-old Italian who managed to shake their hands, said it was “emotional”.
“It was really a great honour, I was moved,” he told AFP.
The king had been due to meet Pope Francis during the trip to Italy, but that was postponed following the 88-year-old Catholic leader’s recent hospitalisation.
At a garden party at the British ambassador’s residence on Tuesday evening, Charles said he was praying for the pontiff, the ANSA news agency reported.
- Emperors, royals -
Military bands from Sardinia’s Sassari Brigade and the Welsh Guards -- wearing their distinctive bearskin hats -- entertained the crowds at the Colosseum before the royals arrived with tunes like Abba’s “Dancing Queen”.
Charles and Camilla then had their picture taken in front of the Colosseum -- which the ancient Romans used for gladiatorial fights, mock sea battles and plays based on Roman mythology -- although they did not go in.
Coordinated in a blue pinstriped suit for him and a blue silk crepe dress and coat for her, with a diamond-and-sapphire brooch that was once Queen Victoria’s, the king and queen were given a quick history lesson by a renowned Italian TV presenter and historian, Alberto Angela.
Angela told journalists afterwards that Charles had “wanted to know all the details about the past”.
“This place is a place of history. You had Roman emperors... and now you have the king and queen coming here. That makes sense,” he said.
Well-wishers included the four-member Wilson family, who live near the royal Windsor Castle in England, and said it was chance their holiday coincided with the visit.
Sarah Wilson, 48, showed off a photo of a smiling Charles snapped by her teenage daughter Beth from behind the barricade.
“Our daughter is quite pushy, so she got in there,” she told AFP.
“It’s literally the first time we’ve ever seen him,” enthused Wilson. “We come all the way to Rome and see the king who lives 10 miles away!”
Earlier, the king and queen were driven through the streets of the capital accompanied by mounted presidential guards.
At the 16th-century Quirinal Palace, they met Italy’s ceremonial president, Sergio Mattarella, and were treated to a joint flypast by Italy’s “Frecce Tricolori” air force aerobatic team and Britain’s “Red Arrows”.
- ‘Special place’ -
Charles has already made 17 official visits to Italy, though this is his first since becoming monarch following the 2022 death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
He will meet Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and is set to become the first British monarch to address a joint sitting of the Italian parliament.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is also accompanying the royals.
The king and queen will celebrate their 20th anniversary on Wednesday with a state banquet.
They marked the milestone with a photo taken in the gardens of the British ambassador’s residence in Rome, where they are staying.
The couple, who will also visit the historic city of Ravenna during the trip, described Italy as “such a special place -- and with such wonderful people!” in a message on social media.
Charles announced he had cancer in February 2024, without specifying which kind. He began returning to work at the end of April.
While continuing to receive treatment, he gradually ramped up his duties, including an official visit to Australia and Samoa in October.
Officials said his recent hospital stay, for a few hours on March 27, was a “minor bump” in his medical treatment, and he resumed engagements on April 1.
