King Charles speaks Italian in historic speech

King Charles spoke Italian in a historic speech to the Italian Parliament during a state visit to the country.

The King made history as the first British monarch to address both houses of the Italian Parliament.

His Majesty was said to be nervous about speaking in Italian and had practised quite a bit before the speech.

King Charles spoke of the current crises across the globe and how the echoes of World War II are seen today.

“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.”

He also told those assembled: “I am here today with one purpose: to reaffirm the deep friendship between the United Kingdom and Italy, and to pledge to do all in my power to strengthen that friendship even further in the time that is granted to me as King.”

There was one hiccup as he received a standing ovation from the politicians before he concluded his remarks, which led to him joking that he was almost finished.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are on a state visit to Italy – their first such visit to Italy since the King took the throne in 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.