King Charles, Queen Camilla arrive in Italy for first state visit in years Photo

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived in Italy for their first state visit since their coronation.

The royal couple landed at Rome's Ciampino airport on April 7, where they were greeted with the Italian flag and the Royal Standard as they waved from the airplane's cockpit, Caliber.Az reports, referencing foreign media.

Over the course of their visit, the King and Queen will spend time in both Rome and the northern city of Ravenna, aiming to strengthen the "strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy." A key focus of the visit will be the nations’ shared defence interests, including collaboration on global combat air programmes.

On April 9, the royal couple will mark their 20th wedding anniversary in Rome, attending a grand state banquet hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Palazzo Quirinale.

In a historic moment, King Charles will become the first British monarch to address the Italian parliament during the visit. He and Queen Camilla will also meet with President Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Their itinerary also includes an event in Ravenna on April 10 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the city's liberation from Nazi Germany.

Although the King and Queen were originally scheduled to meet with Pope Francis on April 7, the pontiff’s health concerns led the Vatican to cancel the meeting.

By Aghakazim Guliyev