I’ve been channelling the next season of my column’s namesake – where Emily In Paris becomes Emily In Rome – enjoying a long weekend in the Italian capital before the King and Queen arrive tomorrow. I’m told the royal couple are really looking forward to the four-day state visit after the minor setback of the King’s hospital admission last month. Charles has always loved and admired Italy and is excited to explore its culture, history, and food.

The schedule has been tweaked slightly after the adjoining state visit to the Vatican was cancelled due to the Pope’s own health issues, with the planned Rome engagements now spread over two days instead of one. The changes will be a relief to the Queen, who has been keen for her husband to slow down and not keep such a busy schedule of royal engagements, audiences, and official state duties.

But she knows all too well that Charles thrives off his work and sees his many engagements as being of great benefit to his overall wellbeing. If he’s not out and about, he loses his sense of purpose and doesn’t feel like he’s the Monarch.

While one insider noted, “the King works like a dog”, the recent blip has reminded him that perhaps he does need to row back slightly.

Just how long that will last, though, is yet to be determined, especially as he and the Queen are about to undertake 17 engagements between them on their upcoming tour.

Aides remain positive about the King’s ongoing cancer treatment, which he started last February after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of the disease. He typically receives treatment once a week, but it can be tweaked according to his diary.

For example, it is understood he won’t be receiving treatment this week due to the state visit, and he similarly paused treatment during his tour to Australia and Samoa last autumn.

Sources reassure me his recovery continues in a “positive direction”, and were even surprised he hadn’t experienced temporary side-effects before.

Meghan Markle‘s jam, crepes and honey sold like hot cakes last week. Less than an hour after they were released on her new
As Ever website, fans quickly snapped them up. Her relentless posting on social media clearly paid off.

When I first saw the retail prices of the products – £11 for jam, £22 for honey and £12 for some flower sprinkles – I wasn’t convinced people would be willing to part with their hard-earned cash for something that’s probably going to gather dust at the back of a kitchen cupboard.

But it seems I underestimated the power of the ever-loyal Sussex fan club. Meghan will undoubtedly be thrilled that the products were snapped up, especially after her Netflix show got a battering.

It’s just such a pity that the goods aren’t available to be shipped over to the UK – I had been looking forward to elevating my meals with some edible petals!

Who doesn’t love an egg hunt? Growing up, I used to love running around the garden with a bucket in search of the sweet treats – which my parents hid so well they often forgot where they had put them.

So I’m all for London’s Big Egg Hunt, which has seen more than 120 decorated 2ft egg sculptures scattered across iconic locations in the capital, especially as it will raise money for an important cause – wildlife charity Elephant Family.

I’ve already spotted a few on my morning commute to our Canary Wharf office. The Queen has taken an interest in the project and inspected a Humpty Dumpty egg last week, which Their Majesties had commissioned.

A trip to Brazil appears to be on the cards for the Prince of Wales later this year, as his annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony will take place in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

While Kensington Palace has not explicitly confirmed William will fly out for the event, he has attended every prize-giving since he founded Earthshot in 2020.

The Princess of Wales’s attendance is more up in the air, however, as she is yet to travel abroad with work since her cancer ordeal. While she attended the inaugural ceremony in London 2021 and the second event in Boston, she skipped the 2023 awards in Singapore and was unable to attend last year’s awards in Cape Town due to her recovery.

William is also expected to attend Cop30, being held in Belem, north Brazil.