Ciao, Italia! King Charles and Queen Camilla Receive a Royal Welcome in Rome for State Visit

King Charles and Queen Camilla are starting their visit to Italy.

The King, 76, and Queen, 77, arrived at Rome's Ciampino airport on Monday, April 7. Upon landing, the Royal Standard and the Italian flag were displayed out the window of the cockpit.

It is the first time they have visited since they became King and Queen in September 2022.

Part of their planned four-day visit was curtailed due to the illness suffered by Pope Francis. The couple had planned to spend April 8 at the Vatican, including in audience with the Pope, 88.

The change meant some events were moved around, but it also gives the couple time to pace themselves in the wake of the fact that Charles was briefly hospitalized with the side effects of his cancer treatment on March 27. That led to him postponing several engagements that were to take place the following day.

Charles and Camilla will be marking their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday in the Italian city. They will be guests of honor at a glittering state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale hosted by President Sergio Mattarella after a series of events in the capital. They are also visiting Ravenna for a day of outings.

When they announced on March 25 that they were not going to see Pope Francis, the palace said their meeting was postponed by mutual agreement due to medical advice for the leader of the Catholic church. The Pope has been advised to rest following his recent 38-day hospital stay.

King Charles, who returned to work on March 31 following his recent brief hospitalization and has kept up a series of appointments since, wrote a letter to Pope Francis telling of the couple's hopes for his recovery.  

Over the next four days, King Charles and Queen Camilla's visit will take in Rome and Ravenna and champion what the spokesperson called the “strong bilateral relationship between the U.K. and Italy.”

In the capital, Charles is set to make history when he becomes the first British monarch to address the Italian Parliament. The King and Queen will also have audiences with President Mattarella and Prime Minister Meloni, and the royal couple are set to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

There will also be a celebration of the shared “common defense interests” of the U.K. and Italy, such as the collaboration on a worldwide combat air program.

When they head to Ravenna, the royal couple will be guests of honor at a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation. The royals are visiting 80 years on exactly from when liberation took place on April 10, 1945.

Meanwhile, palace aides — who have not given further details on Charles' particular condition or treatment program — reiterated on March 27 that Charles’ recovery continues to trend in a positive direction. One royal source described his brief hospitalization following his negative reaction to his treatment as "the most minor bump in the road that’s very much heading in the right direction."

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King Charles' cancer diagnosis was made public in February 2024 after a three-day hospital stay following a prostate procedure. His spokespeople and aides have not revealed what kind of cancer Charles has but it is not prostate cancer, PEOPLE understands.

At the time, he spokesman said in a statement, "His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."

He returned to his public royal duties in April 2024 and has kept up a steady pace ever since, while continuing with his treatment.