The Visit to Italy will underscore the depth and breadth of the bilateral relationship: our defence relationship including in the current international context; our shared values, history and culture; our work together on the clean energy transition; and the links between our peoples and communities.

Italy

The Bilateral Relationship
The strong bilateral relationship between the U.K. and Italy will be celebrated with a series of ceremonial engagements during the State Visit. In Rome, on April 9th, as well as audiences with President Mattarella and Prime Minister Meloni, The King and Queen will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The King will be the first British Monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament. The royal pair will also attend a State Banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by The President.

Defence
As NATO Allies, the U.K. and Italy share common defence interests, collaborating on initiatives such as the Global Combat Air Programme. This relationship will be marked during the visit by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, ‘Frecce Tricolori’ and by the Royal Air Force acrobatic team, the Red Arrows.

In Ravenna, They will attend a reception in the Town Hall, marking the 80th anniversary of the province’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied Forces, which took place on 10th April 1945 (80 years to the day of the visit).

Sustainability
The two countries’ commitment to sustainability will be also reflected in their engagements. In Rome, the Foreign Secretary will chair a roundtable on Clean Energy Supply Chains, with business leaders and others involved in the sector, and The King will then join to hear a report of the outcomes. Meanwhile, at a regional festival in Ravenna (10th April), They will celebrate traditional Emilia-Romagna cuisine, Slow Food, and the region’s excellent produce. As part of this engagement, The King will meet local farmers, whose land and crops have been severely affected by devastating floods which have hit the Ravenna region in recent years.

Literature, Culture, Community and Heritage
The visit will also provide an opportunity to highlight the common cultural heritage shared by Italians and the British, whether that be a love of great Literature, or a desire to preserve Ancient Roman and Byzantine architecture and heritage crafts. It will celebrate the many ways in which culture brings the people of the UK and Italy together, creating a common bond.

In Rome, the Queen will meet school children who have been taking part in a competition to mark the 80th Anniversary of the British Council, describing or imagining a day in the life of their favourite literary characters.

In Ravenna, The King and Queen will view Dante’s tomb and Camilla will tour the Byron museum, uncovering the secrets of the great Romantic poet’s life in Italy, and attending a reception for local book clubs, libraries, book shops and representatives from her charity “The Queen’s Reading Room”. The king will visit the Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, viewing their impressive mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries and meeting artisans who are keeping this ancient art form alive.