The King has hailed “brilliant” restoration work preserving the Colosseum in Rome after posing in front of the famous attraction with the Queen.
Charles and Camilla began their day in the Italian capital with a welcome ceremony full of pomp and pageantry and a spectacular fly-past hosted by President Sergio Mattarella, and ended it among the tourists who flock to the historical amphitheatre.
They were also pictured arm in arm after a wreath-laying service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Altare della Patria, Rome’s large national monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy.
School children excitedly shouted “He’s coming, that’s the King!” when the royal convoy was first spotted at the Colosseum, and cheers greeted the couple as they stepped from their state Bentley.
The King and Queen, on a four-day state visit to Italy, acknowledged the well-wishers in the Colosseum Piazza with a wave before greeting their hosts who included Italy’s culture minister Alessandro Giuli.
Charles and Camilla went on a meet and greet with the public, shaking the hands of dozens of pupils from local schools.
Later, from a viewing platform a few metres from a ruined temple dedicated to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, the couple marvelled at the near 2,000-year-old Colosseum on the eve of their 20th wedding anniversary.
They looked down on the amphitheatre which was neglected for centuries and its marble plundered, but now attracts millions of visitors every year.
Built during the first century, the Colosseum held around 50,000 spectators who watched gladiators compete, including contests between men and animals and larger staged battles under the shade of a huge retractable awning.
After posing for a picture Charles and Camilla turned to look at the crowds below them who cheered, and acknowledged them with a wave.
The spectators were entertained by the band of the Welsh Guards and Italy’s Sassari Brigade Band, who played a selection of movie tunes including the title theme from Gladiator, which features spectacular fight scenes at the Colosseum.
The couple met Italian TV presenter and historian Alberto Angela, who spoke about Rome’s history and the Colosseum’s restoration, as they looked at the ruins of the Roman Forum, ancient government buildings close to the amphitheatre.
“Still today, it looks impressive,” the King and Queen were told, as they both nodded in agreement.
They listened as Mr Angela explained how the once bustling heart of ancient Rome was largely destroyed by a major earthquake in the 9th century that cause significant damage to the buildings.
Before they left the King told him the restoration work was “brilliant”, and the Queen said: “It was lovely to be able to see this today.”
Mr Mattarella had earlier hosted a ceremonial welcome at his official residence, the Quirinale Palace, where the King and Queen were escorted into the palace’s quadrangle by mounted Corazzieri Guards and Charles inspected a guard of honour.
Before private talks they watched a joint flypast over the capital by the Italian air force’s aerobatic team, Frecce Tricolori, streaming Italy’s national colours, and the RAF’s Red Arrows, who left red, white and blue smoke in their wake.
Later, the King and Queen attended a reception for the British-Italian community in Rome with Camilla telling guests she enjoyed “any excuse to be in Italy”.
The couple met people from across Italian life, from business and the arts to defence and education, over drinks in the garden of Villa Wolkonsky, the residence of Edward Llewellyn, the UK’s ambassador to Rome.
Among the 150 guests was the King’s friend William Blacker, a writer and architectural conservationist who lives in Romania and is the author of Along The Enchanted Way, picked by Charles for his wife’s Queen’s Reading Room book club.
The author was joined by his son, Valentin Palffy, 19, a student in Rome and aspiring actor who first met Charles during a visit to Bucharest when he was 11, and was photographed hugging him.
“It was wonderful and a miracle for me to see him again after all these years,” said Palffy. “I’ve always found him an inspiring character since meeting him all those years ago.”
