They may, according to the Queen, be like ‘ships that pass in the night’ due to their heavy workload sometimes.
But there was no doubting the sweetly romantic gesture that Camilla, 77, made yesterday to mark her and the King’s 20th wedding anniversary.
Arriving at the Italian Parliament in Rome, where her husband was due to make an historic speech, she sported the same elegant ivory Anna Valentine silk coat and dress that she wore for their civil wedding ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall on April 9 2005.
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It had been repurposed with additional embroidery by Beth Somerville, an alumni of Charles’ charitable King’s Foundation to highlight the importance of sustainability – a key theme of their four-day state visit to Italy – but was otherwise just as it was on the day.
And the King, 76, looked proud as punch to have his wife on his arm.
In an interview with the British Press accompanying the couple, Camilla looked happy and relaxed as she chatted amiably about her wedding anniversary on a school visit to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the British Council and efforts to encourage young people to read and write imaginatively.
‘Twenty years, who could believe it was 20 years?’ she said.
Asked the secret of their longevity she mused: ‘What is the secret? I don’t know…well… I suppose it’s just sort of friendship, really. Laughing at the same things, getting on with life. I suppose doing this [gestures to the engagement] takes up most of the time…
‘We are always going in different directions, like ships that pass in the night really. We whizz past each other. [But] In fact we have got a bit of a catch-up this afternoon.’
In fact, the Queen revealed she was planning a rather romantic gesture for her husband when they eventually returned to Villa Wolonsky, the home of the British ambassador where they are staying.
Asked whether they had time to exchange cards or gifts, she said: ‘No we are going to do that when we get back. We are going to save that. Otherwise you can’t really… you have to rush it. You don’t have time to say anything. No, I think we might dig into our pockets and pull something out at the end of the day.
‘Ah, yes, well I have got something. It’s china [the traditional gift for a 20th anniversary]. ‘
Asked whether a return gift might be for her husband, who is still undergoing weekly cancer treatment, to take a little time off, she roared: ‘Dream on!’
‘It would be very nice if we got a day off and went somewhere but that was not going to happen!
Speaking of her love of Italy, Camilla said her family used to own a home in the county, explaining: ‘Yes, in Florence. We used to come here as children. We used to go to Ischia, one of the lovely little islands off Naples, so I’ve always loved it here.
‘You come to Italy and you feel better. They are so friendly. Everybody is so lovely. You’ve got the food, the weather, there’s something in the air. Everything tastes better here. Why is it tomatoes, why is it pasta tastes better? You take it back to England it doesn’t taste the same. They are a very relaxed [people] and happy.’
She added that she knew a few words in Italian: ‘I know buongiorno, arrivederci….’
Asked if she ever had time to talk about their days with her husband she said: ‘Well, yes, we do. We have time over dinner to do a bit of catching up.’
Earlier the King, who looked in equally good form, charmed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni when they met for the first time at the stunning Villa Doria Pamphili, used to greet foreign dignitaries.
The pair laughed throughout their time in the 17th century countryside palace with incredibly views over Rome and the Vatican City.
He went on to give an historic speech to the Italian Parliament – and warned that peace was ‘never to be taken for granted’.
Referring to the UK and Italy’s joint support for Ukraine, he highlighted the bravery of civilian Italian resistance fighters in the Second World War, saying: ‘Today, sadly, the echoes of those times – which we fervently hoped had been consigned to history – reverberate across our continent. Our younger generations can now see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted. Britain and Italy stand today united in defence of the democratic values we share.
‘Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need – and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter. Our Armed Forces stand side by side in N.A.T.O. We are grateful beyond measure for the role Italy plays in hosting key N.A.T.O. bases and taking a leading role in so many overseas operations.’
He added: ‘We will remember the terrible price of war – and of the precious gift of peace.’
The King was the first British monarch to be invited to give a speech to the joint session of the Italian parliament with representatives from both the Upper and Lower House.
