The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit Italy from March 31st to April 5th on advice from the British Government. They will visit Florence, Vicenza, Naples, Amatrice and Rome as well as the Vatican. In honour of the visit, we will flashback to the Queen’s State Visit to Italy in 1961.
Arriving on the Royal Yacht Britannia in Naples, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh went to Rome by train, and were greeted by a large crowd at Ostiense Station, before driving in a procession throughout the city.
The Queen and Duke visited the Victor Emmanuel Memorial, where they placed a wreath in memory of soldiers who died in the First World War. They also visited the Testaccio Cemetery and placed a wreath on the memorial.
Later, the Queen and Duke also visited the International horse show, where the Queen presented the winners trophy to William Ringrose of Ireland.
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Following a State Banquet in honour of the Queen (in the Vladimir Tiara) hosted by the Italian President, the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) and the Duke of Edinburgh also saw a performance of Verdi’s Falstaff at the Rome Opera House.
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The Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and Princess Beatrice’s Wedding Gown) also hosted a Return Banquet at the British Embassy in Rome.
The Queen and Duke also had an audience with Pope John at the Vatican.