King Charles III and Queen Camilla are returning from an exceedingly historic four-day trip to Italy. They participated in countless activities in Rome before completing their journey in the ancient city of Ravenna. The royal couple’s itinerary included an important meeting with Pope Francis — a deepening of the royal couple’s existing ties to the Catholic Church.
Alongside their official welcoming by the Italian president, during their time in Rome Their Majesties participated in a busy schedule of highly cultural and diplomatic activities. They ended their visit at a high-profile annual reception. In addition to honoring members of the Diplomatic Corps, Prince William and Kate Middleton were guests at this star-studded event. Importantly, the royal family stood together and took a picture together displaying their unified front before their powerful guests.
On the final day of their Italian trip, Queen Camilla expressed her sentiments about the visit to PEOPLE, stating, “We’re having a wonderful visit. We’re very sad to be going home.” Her deeply personal comments brought to life the extraordinary moments that the couple shared during their idyllic time in Italy.
Showing their undoubted goodwill, the King and Queen impressed Italian President Sergio Mattarella with a number of presents. The goods included a never-before-seen portrait that they had both inscribed by hand to each other, signing it “Charles R.” and “Camilla R.” As part of this endeavor, the signed artwork, dated 2025, was intended to be a lasting testament to their gratitude towards Italy.
That gifted portrait is the one that appeared in a video that was widely circulated on Instagram last week by Rebecca English of the Daily Mail. The clip, taken by the app’s creator, recorded the King and Queen standing very closely together. It looks like the photo was taken at December 2023’s Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.
In addition to the portrait, the King and Queen gifted President Mattarella an antique volume titled The Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and France by Thomas Nugent, originally published in 1778. That deliberate choice can only be understood by their important history influence and cultural connection between the United Kingdom and Italy.
The royal couple gifted President Mattarella a very beautiful brooch, with their cypher. This wise present strengthened those diplomatic ties even more.