Actor Stanley Tucci is set to give a speech at a formal dinner hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla to celebrate their upcoming state visit to Italy, which has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace. The royal couple is scheduled to travel to Italy in April, where they will meet Pope Francis and other Italian leaders and undertake several engagements around Rome and Ravenna. This state visit is also meant to coincide with the King and Queen’s 20th wedding anniversary on April 9.
Tucci, who hosted the BBC show Searching for Italy to explore the country’s food and culture, will speak at the dinner event to be held at the royals’ Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire. The Palace’s statement regarding the state visit indicates that the King’s health is not an obstacle for overseas travel as he continues his cancer treatment.
The Italian-themed dinner at Highgrove will also feature the attendance of Inigo Lambertini, Italy’s ambassador to the UK. Chef Francesco Mazzei will prepare an Italian menu using local ingredients and slow food cooking techniques, while mixologist Alessandro Palazzi will offer drinks infused with herbs grown at Highgrove.
King Charles, who is known to be enthusiastic about art, culture, and religion, has visited Italy frequently and has planned his 18th official visit to the country. State visits, which the King conducts on behalf of the Foreign Office, often involve meetings with senior government officials in the partner country to foster relations. However, the Palace has yet to release details of the full itinerary of the King and Queen’s upcoming trip.
Lastly, the visit coincides with 2025 being a special jubilee year for the Catholic Church, held every 25 years. The King and Queen will join Pope Francis for the celebrations as “Pilgrims of Hope,” according to the Palace. This event will mark their first meeting since Charles became monarch and the supreme governor of the Church of England. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the Pope during the last jubilee year in 2000
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