British Royals Greet Crowds at Colosseum During Italy Visit
Charles, who is paying his 18th official visit to Italy, is on his first overseas trip this year as he continues to undergo treatment for cancer.
The British Red Arrows and Italian Frecce Tricolori aerobatic teams staged a rare joint flypast to mark the event, with Charles and Camilla watching the display alongside Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace.
"It is important to have good relations with European countries," said British tourist Jonathan Smith as he showed a picture on his telephone of the planes sweeping over the heart of Rome, multi-colored smoke flowing behind them.
Britain quit the European Union in 2020 and the royal visit is seen as part of an ongoing effort by London to ease the pain of the Brexit divorce with its old EU allies.
US President Donald Trump's move to impose sweeping tariffs on imports from around the world, while simultaneously questioning Washington's military commitment to Europe, has underscored the need for old European partners to continue to work together.
"I think it is great for the Anglo-Italian relationship, particularly given the current climate around the world," said British tourist John Forde near the Colosseum, when asked about the royal visit.
A group of children waved British flags as the royal couple walked towards the forum, from where they could enjoy a view of the Colosseum from a terrace.
Alberto Angela, a well-known Italian television personality and host of science and history shows, guided the king and queen during their brief visit to the forum, which served as the political, religious and commercial heart of ancient Rome.
"This is a place of big history... and having the queen and the king coming here makes sense," Angela told reporters after the royals left.
During their first full day in Rome, the king and queen also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Charles is due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday and then address a joint session of parliament -- the first British monarch to be given this honor.
Charles and Camilla also mark their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday and they will spend the evening at a state banquet hosted by Mattarella at his Quirinale residence.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
8 minutes ago
- Arab News
French PM slams EU-US trade deal as ‘submission'
PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday slammed a weekend trade deal between the United States and the European Union as a 'dark day' and tantamount to 'submission,' as other politicians poured vitriol on the deal.'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resorts to submission,' said Bayrou in a post on X of the accord thrashed out President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck the deal, which fixed a baseline tariff of 15 percent on EU exports to the President Emmanuel Macron did not immediately react Monday to the high-stakes agreement, which drew wider criticism across much of the French political spectrumStock markets rose in Europe and Asia on hopes the agreement can avert a potentially damaging trade many French politicians were not convinced.'Ursula von der Leyen accepted yesterday the commercial surrender of Europe, to the detriment of our exporters, farmers, and industrialists,' Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally, wrote on day before, Bardella's party colleague and three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen had criticized the deal as 'a political, economic and moral fiasco.''This is a defeat for the European Commission, which failed to create the power dynamics needed properly to defend European interests,' said Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, a Macron ally in parliament and president of the National Assembly's European Affairs blasted what he said was a 'signal of weakness' sent 'to our competitors (and) we must fight to reverse the situation.'A Bayrou ally in his Democratic Movement, lawmaker Philippe Latombe, said on X he 'deeply regrets' a deal which 'while it certainly avoids a trade war, comes at the cost of culpable subservience, a mortgage on our future, and the sacrifice of entire sectors of our sovereignty. It's a bad deal, except for Trump.'On Sunday, the Socialist Party said the EU appeared cast as a US 'vassal' while far-left France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said France's choice was one of 'non-submission to the (US) Empire and non-alignment.'The French finance ministry told AFP Finance Minister Eric Lombard and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot would Wednesday discuss 'consequences' of the deal with major French economic players.
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
French PM Says EU-US Trade Deal an Act of ‘Submission' and a Dark Day for Europe
France called a framework trade deal between the United States and European Union a "dark day" for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to US President Donald Trump with an unbalanced deal that slaps a headline 15% tariff on EU goods while sparing US imports from any immediate European retaliation. The criticism from Prime Minister Francois Bayrou followed months of French calls for EU negotiators to take a tougher stance against Trump by threatening reciprocal measures — a position that contrasted with the more conciliatory approaches of Germany and Italy. "It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission," Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the "von der Leyen-Trump deal". The high-level French criticism, and President Emmanuel Macron's silence since the deal was signed between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stood in contrast with the more benign reaction from Berlin and Rome. French government ministers acknowledged the agreement had some benefits, including exemptions for sectors such as spirits and aerospace, but said it remained fundamentally unbalanced. "This state of affairs is not satisfactory and cannot be sustained," French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad said on X, urging the EU to activate its so-called anti-coercion instrument, which would allow for non-tariff retaliation. Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin criticized the EU's handling of the negotiations, saying the bloc should not have refrained from hitting back in what he described as a power struggle initiated by Trump. "Donald Trump only understands force," he told France Inter radio. "It would have been better to respond by showing our capacity to retaliate earlier. And the deal could have probably looked different," he added. Macron had said that the EU should respond in kind if the United States slapped tariffs on EU goods, and apply equivalent measures on US imports into the bloc, in particular on services, in which the US enjoys a surplus with the EU. But the softer line advocated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose countries are more dependent than France on exports to the US, prevailed.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
French PM slams EU-US trade deal as ‘submission'
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday slammed a weekend trade deal between the United States and the European Union as a 'dark day' and tantamount to 'submission.' 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, united to affirm their values and defend their interests, resorts to submission,' said Bayrou in a post on X of the accord thrashed out Sunday by US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which fixed a baseline tariff of 15 percent on EU exports to the US.
