King hails ‘truly special’ wedding anniversary meal at state banquet
The King jokingly referred to a banquet marking his Italian state visit and held on his 20th wedding anniversary as a “small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two”.
Charles and Queen Camilla were guests of honour at the black-tie event hosted by Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella where the King spoke about the uncertainty of the modern world.
It has emerged the King and Queen visited a convalescing Pope Francis at the Vatican during a private meeting where they shared their best wishes for his recovery.
The head of state and his wife spent 20 minutes at the Vatican at the request of the pontiff who is continuing to recuperate after receiving hospital treatment for double pneumonia.
Earlier the King had warned peace is “never to be taken for granted” in an historic speech to both houses of Italy’s parliament, a first by a British monarch.
But when he addressed guests at the Quirinale Palace on Wednesday evening he lighted the mood by saying to the president: “Today marks, as you say, the Queen’s and my 20th wedding anniversary.
“On that score, I must say it really is very good of you, Mr President, to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two…!”
Amid laughter, he then said, in Italian: “I can only say that to be able to spend this moment here in Italy, a country of which the Queen and I are so deeply fond, is truly special.”
Among the guests were celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli and tenor Andrea Bocelli along with a host of Italian Government ministers and designers Sir Paul Smith and Brunello Cuccinelli.
Charles went on to say in his speech: “…we cannot escape the fact that we are living in a very precarious and fragile world – a world that is changing so fast around us, with such a huge impact on our peoples.
“As we face those challenges, we are doing so not alone, but together – as friends, as allies, as partners in Europe and beyond.
“We are protecting our planet and its future for our children and our grandchildren – where we have so much we can achieve together, as I saw at an inspiring round-table on clean growth with British and Italian business leaders this afternoon.”
Those invited dined on a pasta with aubergine starter, sea bass in salt crust main and ice cream cake with raspberries.
Charles lightened the mood when he reference some classic British comedy: “But I, for one, have never asked that question, made famous by Monty Python, ‘what have the Romans ever done for us?’
“We see their imprint on what they knew as Britannia every day, from London to Carmarthen, from York to Hadrian’s Wall.
“Italy has succeeded, where Rome failed, in extending its influence to all corners of the United Kingdom, not least thanks to a beloved diaspora whose charm has proved mightier than the sword.”
