Rome, Italy (AFP)—King Charles III on Monday began a four-day state visit to Italy in which he will address parliament and tour the Colosseum, but an audience with Pope Francis was called off over the pontiff’s ill health.

The trip comes 10 days after Charles, 76, was briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.

Charles and Queen Camilla, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in Rome on Wednesday, waved and smiled as they left their special flight at Ciampino Airport in bright spring sunshine.

They were greeted by an honour guard before being driven away.

“As we begin our first visit to Italy as King and Queen, we are so looking forward to celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary in such a special place — and with such wonderful people!” the royal couple said in a message on the X social media platform.

Charles has already made 17 official visits to Italy, though this is his first since becoming monarch following the 2022 death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The king, who is also head of the Church of England, had been due to meet Pope Francis but the audience was postponed.

Francis, 88, has been ordered to spend at least two months convalescing after a life-threatening bout of pneumonia, although he made a surprise appearance at a Vatican mass on Sunday.

– ‘Reset’ relationships –
Rome authorities warned the public of disruption due to tight security and roadblocks around the city, notably when Charles and Camilla visit the Colosseum on Tuesday.

The couple are to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watch a joint flypast by Italy’s “Frecce Tricolori” air force aerobatic team and Britain’s “Red Arrows”.

Charles, who is being joined by foreign minister David Lammy, is to meet Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.

He is also set to become the first British monarch to address a joint sitting of the Italian parliament.

Britain’s ambassador to Italy, Edward Llewellyn, said the state visit came at a “key moment” as Britain seeks to “reset our relationships with European partners” five years after Brexit.

“This visit will inject further momentum to drive that cooperation across the board but especially on defence, on sustainability, on clean energy and our cultural ties,” he said.

– Dante’s tomb –

The king and queen were married on April 9, 2005, after a long affair during Charles’s marriage to the late Princess Diana.

They will mark their 20th anniversary at a state banquet at Rome’s 16th-century Palazzo Quirinale, and have reportedly asked for a vegetarian menu, according to Italian media.

In Rome, they are staying at Villa Wolkonsky, the British ambassador’s official residence.

While in Italy, they will also visit the historic northern city of Ravenna.

There, they will attend a reception marking the 80th anniversary of the region’s liberation from Nazi occupation by Allied forces on April 10, 1945.

They will also visit the tomb of poet Dante Alighieri, sample traditional food from the northern Emilia Romagna region and meet local farmers.

“Their visit will strengthen the closeness between our nations in a way that only they can,” ambassador Llewellyn said.

“Their love for Italy and all things Italian, the things Italians cherish — culture, food, heritage — resonate very, very deeply here.”

Charles announced he had cancer in February 2024, without specifying which kind, but resumed his activities at the end of April.

While continuing to receive treatment, he gradually ramped up his duties, including an official visit to Australia and Samoa in October.

Officials said his recent hospital stay, a few hours on March 27, was a “minor bump” in his medical journey, and he resumed engagements on April 1.

Charles’ daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, was also diagnosed with cancer last year but said in January she was in remission.