ROME — A year after King Charles III and Queen Camilla made history as the first British monarchs to address the Italian parliament, the British Embassy in Rome has opened a photographic exhibition marking the four-day state visit.
A year after King Charles III and Queen Camilla made the first state visit to Italy by a British monarch in over 20 years, the British Embassy in Rome has opened a photographic exhibition marking the four-day trip.
“A Riveder le Stelle” (To See the Stars Again) opened today at Villa Wolkonsky, the ambassador’s official residence since 1951. More than 30 photographs document the visit across Rome and Ravenna, capturing the ceremonial welcome by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale, a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Villa Pamphilj, a joint air force flyover, and a crowd scene at the Colosseum.
“The King, as many people have already noted, was very familiar with Italian culture and Italian literature,” said UK Consul General in Milan Kassim Ramji during the exhibition opening, noting he even had a passion for Dante about whom he made a reference during his speech in Parliament.”
The couple also marked their 20th wedding anniversary during the trip, with portraits taken in the gardens of Villa Wolkonsky itself. The visit concluded in Ravenna, where the King attended a food festival and a pasta-making event, underscoring the cultural and diplomatic ties the tour was designed to strengthen in the post-Brexit era.
A King above the rest
“Italy has always had a very deep strong with them,” said Francesco De Mitri, who attended the opening. “We like them. There are kings and then there are kings, and these Windsors we genuinely like very much. Even in Repubblican Italy.”
Chargé d’Affaires David Burton said the exhibition reflects the breadth of collaboration that made the visit possible. “The success of the State Visit was made possible thanks to a wide and fruitful collaboration with Italy,” he said, “and above all thanks to the affection shown by institutions and the many citizens who welcomed the sovereigns with extraordinary warmth.”
King Charles was informed of the initiative and conveyed that he and the Queen retain particularly fond memories of both the state visit and a subsequent private visit to the Vatican in October 2025.
Cultural broadcaster Alberto Angela, who accompanied the royal couple at the Colosseum, said the experience left a lasting impression. “It was an enormous emotion, but also a great responsibility,” he said. “I was struck by their interest. They were engaged, very curious. It is an experience I will not forget.”
The exhibition remains on display at Villa Wolkonsky throughout the year, including King Charles’s birthday celebrations in June and the 34th Anglo-Italian Pontignano Conference in autumn.
