Red Arrows to get Charles and Camilla’s Italy state visit off to a flying start
The King and Queen will watch a flypast over Rome by the Italian air force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.
The King and Queen will watch a flypast of jets from the aerobatic teams of the UK and Italy when their state visit begins in earnest.
Charles and Camilla will be officially welcomed to Italy by the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella, and his daughter Laura Mattarella at his official residence the Quirinale Palace in Rome.
During the ceremonial greeting the UK and Italy’s defence co-operation will be marked by a joint flypast over the capital by the Italian air force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows.
The president and the King will hold a private meeting while the statesman’s daughter, who acts as the first lady, will show the Queen a selection of antique books on horsemanship in the Biblioteca del Piffetti and tour the state rooms.
Later the King and Queen, who are making a four-day state visit to Italy which began on Monday, will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Altare della Patria, Rome’s large national monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.
Charles and Camilla’s 20th wedding anniversary will be celebrated on April 9 and they have released three official photographs before their big day.
The couple will also visit a global attraction, the Colosseum that over the centuries has become a symbol of Rome and during their tour will hear about the ongoing restoration work on and around the monument.
The day will end with the head of state and his consort attending a reception with members of the British-Italian community, with representatives from business, arts and culture, military and defence, and education and youth sectors.
