KING CHARLES MAKES HISTORY WITH ITALIAN ADDRESS ON WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
In a landmark moment for Anglo-Italian relations, King Charles has become the first British monarch to address the combined houses of Italy's Parliament, delivering parts of his speech in fluent Italian while calling for democratic nations to stand united during turbulent global times.
The historic address, which earned the King a lengthy standing ovation from Italian lawmakers, coincided with a particularly meaningful personal milestone—his and Queen Camilla's 20th wedding anniversary.
Royal Romance Celebrated in Rome
The anniversary added a romantic subplot to the state visit, with Queen Camilla seen wearing a thoughtfully "repurposed" version of the ivory silk dress she wore on her wedding day in 2005. Earlier in the day, the Queen received a charming anniversary gift during a school visit—a Margherita pizza specially presented to mark the occasion.
The royal couple's relationship with Italy was woven throughout the King's address as he noted he had made eighteen official visits to the "Belpaese" (beautiful country) over the past forty years, developing a deep affection for the nation from "Turin to Palermo, Verona to Naples, Florence to Trieste."
Historic Ties and "Garibaldimania"
Speaking in the ornately decorated Palazzo Montecitorio, the King highlighted the ancient connections between Britain and Italy, remarking that the Romans were the first to put a king's head on British coins—adding with characteristic humor, "so I am especially grateful to them."
He recounted how Britain supported Italian unification, noting that when Giuseppe Garibaldi visited Britain in 1864, "Garibaldimania" swept the nation with half a million people greeting him in London. "There was even a biscuit named after Garibaldi – the ultimate mark of British esteem!" the King observed with trademark wit.
Standing Together in Challenging Times
In more serious moments, the King emphasized the need for democratic solidarity, noting: "Today, sadly, the echoes of those times – which we fervently hoped had been consigned to history – reverberate across our continent."
He praised the two nations' shared support for Ukraine and their NATO partnership, highlighting the upcoming joint exercises between the British Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group and Italian forces as "a powerful symbol of our cooperation."
The King also addressed environmental challenges, referencing his speech in the same building sixteen years ago about climate change: "The warnings I offered then about the urgency of the climate challenge are depressingly being borne out by events," he said, noting that extreme weather events once seen once in a generation now occur annually.
Cultural Connections
Demonstrating his deep appreciation of Italian culture, the King quoted Virgil's "Georgics" in Italian, calling him "the father of sustainable farming." He also acknowledged the 450,000 Italians who make their home in the United Kingdom and the tens of thousands of Britons living across Italy.
In a poetic conclusion delivered in Italian, the King expressed confidence that whatever challenges both nations face, they would overcome them together, ending with Dante's famous line: "e quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle" ("and thence we came forth to see the stars again").
The day had begun with the King receiving a ceremonial red-carpet welcome from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Villa Doria Pamphili, with the pair engaging in animated conversation as they walked through the 17th Century palace gardens amid orange trees with views of St. Peter's and the Vatican.
The royal anniversary celebrations will continue with a state banquet at the Quirinale Palace, while back home at Buckingham Palace, the Royal Family marked the occasion with a musical tribute—the guards playing a brass version of Madness's 1981 hit "It Must Be Love."
Here's the speech in full:
