King Charles and Camilla to begin Italy tour hospital visit: Live

King Charles and Camilla to begin Italy tour hospital visit: Live
Related: Smiling King Charles seen for first time since suffering side effects from cancer treatment

The King and Queen are set to begin their four-day trip to Italy on Monday following Charles’ recent hospital stay.

The historic visit will see the King become the first British sovereign to address both houses of the Italian parliament.

Charles and Camilla are also set to hold audiences with Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni during the trip, and attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president Sergio Mattarella.

Originally, the monarch had also planned to visit Pope Francis at the Vatican, but this was postponed after the Pope was advised to rest following his life-threatening bout of pneumonia.

The visit comes after Charles has faced his own health concerns in recent weeks. He was forced to postpone his engagements on Friday March 28 following a short stay in hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.

The trip comes also comes as the Duke of Sussex is set to appeal a High Court ruling dismissing his legal claim against the Home Office on Tuesday.

What will the King and Queen be doing today?

Charles and Camilla are due to begin their state visit to Italy on Monday – but will not attend any engagements.

The King and Queen are expected to arrive in Rome at around 4pm, and settle in before their busy itinerary begins on Tuesday.

Athena Stavrou7 April 2025 09:00

King and Queen to begin state visit today

The King and Queen will being their four-day state visit to Italy today.

Charles and Camilla will visit Rome and the city of Ravenna on their trip, as they celebrate the UK’s ties to its European ally.

(PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou7 April 2025 08:20

How King Charles and Queen Camilla will spend their 20th wedding anniversary

The King and Queen will mark their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday by spending the evening as guests of honour at a state banquet in Rome.

The black-tie dinner, a highlight of the couple’s four-day state visit to Italy which begins on Monday, will be attended by prominent figures from Italian society.

The day will mark two decades since Charles and Camilla wed at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005.

Read the full story here:

Alexander Butler7 April 2025 07:00

King continues state visits despite cancer treatment

Last month, Charles was seen leaving Clarence House in London, accompanied by the Queen, after spending the night there.

This followed what was described as a “minor bump” in his cancer treatment journey.

He experienced temporary side effects after a treatment session at the London Clinic on Thursday morning, which necessitated a short period of observation in the hospital.

The King then had to cancel a planned visit to Birmingham to focus on his recovery.

Buckingham Palace said the cancellation was a “precautionary measure” taken on medical advice.

“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”

Diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024, Charles returned to public-facing duties in April, while continuing his weekly treatment.

Alexander Butler7 April 2025 06:00

How did Charles and Camilla meet?

Charles first met fun, confident Camilla on the Windsor Great Park polo field in 1970 when he had just left Cambridge University, a year before he joined the Royal Navy.

No marriage proposal came, despite the closeness between the pair and when the relationship cooled after Charles dedicated himself to his Navy career, Camilla wed cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and Charles later married Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981.

After Charles and Camilla both divorced – and Diana died in l997 – Camilla’s eventual emergence as Charles’ long-term partner was part of a carefully planned PR campaign masterminded by the heir to the throne’s spin doctor Mark Bolland.

Their first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in London in 1999, dubbed Operation Ritz, where the mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off.

Alexander Butler7 April 2025 05:00

Watch: King Charles in hysterics as he practices CPR on dummy

King Charles in hysterics as he practices CPR on dummy
Alexander Butler7 April 2025 04:00

Charles to meet Pope Francis during Italy visit

The King and Queen will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican and celebrate the Catholic Church’s Pilgrims of Hope jubilee year.

The couple will attend the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, which is located in the Vatican – the smallest independent state in the world which is surrounded by Rome and is the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.

Alexander Butler7 April 2025 03:00

Watch: King Charles plays carrot recorder alongside vegetable orchestra

King Charles plays carrot recorder alongside vegetable orchestra
Alexander Butler7 April 2025 02:00

King continues state visits despite cancer treatment

Last month, Charles was seen leaving Clarence House in London, accompanied by the Queen, after spending the night there.

This followed what was described as a “minor bump” in his cancer treatment journey.

He experienced temporary side effects after a treatment session at the London Clinic on Thursday morning, which necessitated a short period of observation in the hospital.

The King then had to cancel a planned visit to Birmingham to focus on his recovery.

Buckingham Palace said the cancellation was a “precautionary measure” taken on medical advice.

“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”

Diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024, Charles returned to public-facing duties in April, while continuing his weekly treatment.

Alexander Butler7 April 2025 01:00

Is King Charles the ultimate poster boy for Starmer’s Labour?

King Charles cancelling his royal engagements because of the side-effects of his cancer treatment prompted an outpouring of public support. It also had a more curious effect – it reminded me how, historically, Labour prime ministers tend to get on better than expected with the monarch, The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul writes.

The establishment’s fear of socialism is usually allayed by politicians eager to prove themselves responsible. Ramsay MacDonald made a good impression on George V when he formed the first minority Labour government in 1924. “He wishes to do the right thing,” the King wrote in his diary. “Today, 23 years ago, dear Grandmama [Queen Victoria] died. I wonder what she would have thought of a Labour government!”

MacDonald was determined to show that Labour could be trusted, and was accused by some in his party of being too keen to ingratiate himself with the aristocracy, the royal family at its apex. He was accused of much worse when the King persuaded him to form a national government in 1931, after the stock market crash, because that required MacDonald to abandon the Labour Party and throw in his lot with the Conservatives.

Read the full comment piece here:

Is King Charles the ultimate poster boy for Starmer’s Labour?

Back to work following a spell in hospital, King Charles – with his commitment to environmentalism, housing projects and improving the lives of socially disadvantaged young people – appears fully in lockstep with the aims of the new government, says John Rentoul
Alexander Butler6 April 2025 23:00

Source: independent.co.uk