State visit to Italy expected to go ahead despite health setback for the king.
Britain’s King Charles is to address both houses of the Italian parliament, gathered in a joint session, during a state visit to Italy with Queen Camilla next month.
The historic event, scheduled on Wednesday 9 April at 14.50, will see Charles become the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Italian parliament.
The king’s address in the chamber of Montecitorio will follow speeches by the presidents of the lower house and the senate, Lorenzo Fontana and Ignazio La Russa respectively.
Queen Camilla will also attend the ceremony, which is set to last 25 minutes, according to Italian media reports.
The British ambassador to Italy Edward Llewellyn told the Corriere della Sera newspaper last week that the king will “also speak in Italian” during the address.
Health setback
Buckingham Palace announced late on Thursday that Charles, 76, had spent a short period of time in hospital earlier that day after experiencing temporary side effects during cancer treatment.
Charles cancelled a tour of Birmingham on Friday, acting on medical advice, with a palace source describing the setback to the BBC as a “most minor bump in a road that is very much heading in the right direction”.
The upcoming royal visit to Italy, planned from 7-10 April, is still expected to go ahead, according to British media.
Vatican
The tour was to have included a visit to the Vatican however this plan was dropped “by mutual agreement” after doctors advised Pope Francis to rest for an extended period following his five-week stay in hospital battling double pneumonia, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday.
The cancellation of the Vatican element of the visit has led to alterations to the planned programme which will include engagements in Rome and Ravenna.
Shared values
The state visit – designed to underscore the strong relationship between the UK and Italy, reflecting “shared values, history and culture” – will see the British royals meet Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni and president Sergio Mattarella who will host a state banquet in their honour on 9 April.
Military links between the two countries will be highlighted with a joint flypast over Rome by Italy’s Frecce Tricolori jets and the UK’s Red Arrows, and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Photo credit: Richard Juilliart / Shutterstock.com.
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