The Eternal City has rolled out the red carpet for royalty as King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in Rome this morning to begin a momentous four-day State Visit to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy — their first joint overseas State Visit since ascending the throne.
The visit, already being hailed as one of the most symbolically important royal trips in decades, will see Their Majesties meet Pope Francis, attend a Service in the Sistine Chapel, and become the centrepiece of a sweeping celebration of faith, culture, and Anglo-Italian friendship.
Their Majesties arrived to a warm welcome at Rome’s Ciampino Airport before heading into the heart of the capital, where the Italian press has dubbed the occasion “una visita storica.”
Tomorrow’s audience with His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican will mark a defining moment in the ongoing dialogue between the Anglican and Catholic Churches, with the Jubilee Year of 2025, themed Pilgrims of Hope, providing the backdrop for what is expected to be a deeply personal and spiritual exchange.
In a historic first, the Kin, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, is set to attend a service at St Paul’s Outside the Walls, one of the four Papal Basilicas of Rome, with its ancient ties to English monarchs before the Reformation. The Royal and Vatican Choirs will sing side by side in both the Sistine Chapel and St Paul’s, in a moving show of unity.
As anticipation builds, Windsor meets the Vatican in a uniquely British-Italian moment of reflection on creation, reconciliation, and shared values.
King Charles, a lifelong advocate for the environment, and Pope Francis, author of Laudato Si’, will also use the visit to shine a spotlight on climate action and care for the natural world — a cause that has united the two leaders long before this official encounter.
Queen Camilla is expected to take part in separate engagements, including a meeting with Catholic Sisters working at grassroots level across the globe to empower women and girls through education, health care and anti-trafficking work, echoing Her Majesty’s own passionate advocacy for women’s rights and literacy.
After their time at the Holy See, Their Majesties will embark on the Italian leg of their visit, with engagements in Rome and Ravenna, covering everything from defence and diplomacy to literature, heritage and slow food.
The King is due to become the first British Monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament, and will later join Queen Camilla at a State Banquet hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Palazzo Quirinale.
In Ravenna, the couple will mark the 80th anniversary of the city’s liberation from Nazi occupation, a poignant moment of remembrance, with wreath-laying ceremonies and local tributes scheduled for April 10th, exactly 80 years to the day of the city’s liberation.
King Charles is also expected to meet local farmers affected by recent devastating floods, underscoring the Royal Family’s commitment to climate resilience and rural recovery.
Meanwhile, the Queen will dive into the region’s literary past with visits to Dante’s tomb and the Byron Museum, as well as a reception with local book clubs and literacy organisations supported by her own charity, The Queen’s Reading Room.
As Their Majesties begin this ambitious and wide-ranging programme, royal aides say the visit is intended to celebrate “faith, friendship and the future.”
From the grandeur of the Vatican to the cobbled streets of Ravenna, the visit is already being hailed as a triumph of soft power and statecraft, reminding Europe and the world that Britain’s monarchy remains a beacon of diplomacy, heritage and continuity.
the visit to the Holy See (Vatican) was cancelled. None of the events that used to be on their Vatican schedule will take place.