King Charles is ‘raring to go’ as he prepares for his state visit to Italy next week – after his ‘minor bump in the road’ hospital stay, royal sources have said.
Charles and Camilla will arrive in Rome on Monday to begin their four-day trip – just ten days after he was admitted to hospital following side effects from his treatment for cancer.
The 76-year-old was briefly under observation, forcing him to cancel a scheduled trip to Birmingham – but he returned home to Clarence House on ‘good form’ that evening and was able to do some work.
The short hospital stay was dubbed by royal sources a ‘minor bump in the road’ – and the King followed it with a near-normal, full working week at Windsor Castle, after a weekend of recovery at Highgrove.
This week’s schedule included his state duties, two public engagements and an investiture ceremony – which saw gardener and broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh awarded a CBE, among other recipients.
Royal commentator Phil Damper told the Express the King looked like he had been ‘on very good form’ this week just gone.
He said: ‘He will be raring to go and looking forward to it immensely. These trips abroad, where he is doing things that he really loves doing, are the perfect way to help his physical and mental health.’
The visit will celebrate the UK and Italy’s warm relations with a total of 17 engagements – but with the Vatican visit cancelled due to the Pope’s own continuing health issues.
King Charles (pictured on Thursday) is ‘raring to go’ as he prepares for his state visit to Italy next week – after his ‘minor bump in the road’ hospital stay, royal sources have said
Charles and Camilla (pictured last month) will arrive in Rome on Monday to begin their four-day trip – just ten days after he was admitted to hospital following side effects from his treatment for cancer
The 76-year-old (pictured outside Somerset House last month) was briefly under observation, forcing him to cancel a scheduled trip to Birmingham
Plans for Rome have now also accordingly been spread across two days when previously they were planned to take up just one day.
This will ‘allow the programme to breathe a bit’, a royal source said, taking the pressure off one day that was due to be particularly busy.
It will also allow more time to be spent on individual engagements – and more to be added.
The King and Queen will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday – with a toast at a state banquet in Rome.
The couple will be in the ‘Eternal City’ for their high profile official state visit to Italy and have a busy working day planned, with six public engagements between them.
In fact they will spend most of the day apart on separate engagements, coming together only for a glittering official dinner hosted by the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, at the Palazzo Quirinale.
Located on the Quirinal Hill, one of the seven iconic hills of Rome, the 17th Century palace has been home to 30 popes, four kings of Italy and 12 presidents.
The dress code is black tie – so no tiaras – but will be an extravaganza nonetheless.
The King and Queen (pictured on Commonwealth Day last month) will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday – with a toast at a state banquet in Rome
The couple (pictured on a visit to Northern Ireland last month) will be in the ‘Eternal City’ for their high profile official state visit to Italy and have a busy working day planned, with six public engagements between them
Mr Dampier said the King (pictured playing a carrot with the London Vegetable Orchestra on Thursday) looked to be ‘on very good form’ this week
And although details of the arrangements are so far a secret, it is highly likely that at some point during the evening, when toasts are made, the King and Queen’s special day will be acknowledged.
The couple married on April 9, 2005, in a civil wedding ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor, followed by a religious blessing at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Sources close to the couple say they are ‘not ones for a fuss’.
Traditionally two decades of marriage are celebrated with a gift of china but Buckingham Palace has not revealed whether the couple plan to exchange presents.
While Charles and Camilla’s wedding, following the end of their respective first marriages, was at the time considered a threat to the future of the monarchy by some naysayers, it has proved to be one of the Royal Family’s most enduring love stories.
They first dated in the 1970s but went onto marry other people: in the King’s case the late Diana, Princess of Wales, while Camilla married army officer Andrew Parker Bowles.
The resumed their relationship in the mid 1980s and finally got engaged in 2004, with the late Queen’s blessing.
Mr Dampier said the King looked to be ‘on very good form’ this week – and ‘very happy’, especially at the Investitures, with Titchmarsh being his friend of 40 years.
In fact they will spend most of the day apart on separate engagements, coming together only for a glittering official dinner hosted by the Italian President, Sergio Mattarella, at the Palazzo Quirinale
It is highly likely that at some point during the evening, when toasts are made, the King and Queen’s special day will be acknowledged
He added: ‘He just loves meeting people, getting out and about.’
Titchmarsh applauded the King’s ‘boundless energy’ after Tuesday’s ceremony: ‘He is so energetic, he’s not just a talker, he’s a doer.’
Two-time world champion heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, awarded an MBE at the ceremony, said the monarch was in ‘good spirits’: ‘I’m happy to see that he’s fit and well.’
Wednesday followed with audiences at Buckingham Palace, a Privy Council meeting and his weekly audience with the PM – before his two public engagements on Thursday.
Charles’ swift return to work as normal is encouraging, Mr Dampier said: ‘It shows the zest of life he’s got at the moment and how much he wants to enjoy life to the absolute maximum.’
Indeed, the King is said to be looking forward to his four days in Italy – a nation he has a long-standing love and admiration for – according to royal sources.
Mr Dampier commented that such travel ‘stimulates’ the King: ‘He finds it the perfect tonic. I am sure he will return energised, stimulated and refreshed by the trip.’
With the monarch’s two-hour flight to Rome now only two days away, royal sources have said his recovery is moving in a ‘positive direction’.
Charles’ swift return to work as normal is encouraging, Mr Dampier said: ‘It shows the zest of life he’s got at the moment’
The King is said to be looking forward to his four days in Italy – a nation he has a long-standing love and admiration for – according to royal sources
During their time in Ravenna, Charles and Camilla will visit the tomb of 13th-century Italian poet Dante and the Lord Byron museum, where the 18th-century British poet once lived
The visit will see the King and Queen have audiences with President Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the King will address both houses of the Italian Parliament – making him the first British sovereign to do so.
Also, the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, named Frecce Tricolori, will join forces with the Red Arrows for a flypast over Rome.
During their time in Ravenna, Charles and Camilla will visit the tomb of 13th-century Italian poet Dante and the Lord Byron museum, where the 18th-century British poet once lived.
Though Buckingham Palace has not made official plans for the couple’s wedding anniversary, their Italian hosts will likely propose a way to celebrate.
The pair have escaped to Italy several times over the years for holidays just the two of them, Mr Dampier pointed out – so the country will be a special place to celebrate their relationship.
The King is known to still attend public engagements on the days of special occasions – as he did on his 70th and 75th birthdays.
Charles has been receiving weekly cancer treatment since he was diagnosed last February.
