When in Rome, even King Charles and Queen Camilla can’t resist a little sightseeing!
On Tuesday, April 8, the King, 76, and Queen, 77, visited the Colosseum on the second day of their state visit to Italy.
On arrival, they were greeted by the country’s Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, and Director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Alfonsina Russo, before they met members of the public as the band of the Welsh Guards and the Sassari Brigade Band — the military band of the Italian Army — played in unison.
The royals headed up the stairs to the Colosseum’s viewing platform, waving to the crowd below, as they had photographs taken with the iconic Italian landmark as the backdrop.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Colosseum in Rome, Italy on April 8, 2025.
PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty
Earlier on Tuesday, the King and Queen met Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter, First Lady Laura Mattarella, at the Quirinale Palace.
They then viewed a flypast by the Italian Air Force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, and the RAF’s Red Arrows, before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier war memorial at the Altare della Patria in Piazza Venezia.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Colosseum in Rome, Italy on April 8, 2025.
PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty
King Charles and Queen Camilla are abroad for their first international trip of the year as his treatment for cancer continues. The royals were originally due to go to both Italy and the Holy See, which is the government of the Catholic Church and operates from the Vatican City State.
However, shortly before the trip, Buckingham Palace announced that the King and Queen’s stop at the Holy See was postponed in a mutual agreement after Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital. The Pope, 88, left the hospital on March 23 following a 38-day stay and has been advised to rest, with King Charles and Queen Camilla sending him their best wishes.
Italy’s First Lady Laura Mattarella, Queen Camilla, King Charles and Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella pictured on April 8, 2025.
VICTORIA JONES/POOL/AFP via Getty
“Their Majesties send The Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered,” a palace statement said.
It was understood then that the King and Queen would still visit Italy, though the schedule was expected to shift. The palace previously announced that the trip would run from Monday, April 7 until Thursday, April 10 and the royals stuck with that outline.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella, King Charles, Queen Camilla and Italy’s First Lady Laura Mattarella view a flypast on April 8, 2025.
Victoria Jones – Pool/Getty
Their itinerary includes time in Rome and Ravenna, plus a state banquet and address from Charles to a joint session of the Italian Parliament. The King’s remarks will be historic, as he will become the first British sovereign to speak at this meeting.
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Italian excursion overlaps with a personal anniversary as they celebrate 20 years of marriage on April 9.
On April 9, 2005, then-Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles legally married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. The ceremony was followed by a Service of Prayer and Dedication at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, where the Archbishop of Canterbury led the religious blessing.
The day looked different from most British royal weddings, as Charles and Camilla were both divorced (Charles from the late Princess Diana, and Camilla from Andrew Parker Bowles) and the services scaled back the traditional pomp of royal nuptials. Camilla took on the title Duchess of Cornwall when she married Charles (more than 35 years after they first met) and the couple has been a steady team in the years since.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on April 8, 2025.
Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
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King Charles acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September 2022 and Camilla has been his champion as he has navigated cancer.
“She is his strength and stay like [Prince Philip] was for the late Queen,” a palace insider told PEOPLE after it was announced in February 2024 that the King was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment.
“She will be great. She will rally him, she will buoy him. She is amazing. She equips him to do the job he has to do.”