King Charles reaffirms 'deep friendship' between UK, Italy

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) King Charles on Wednesday praised the relations between the UK and Italy, pledging to do all in his power to further ties between the two countries.

"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," Charles told during his address to both houses of Italy's parliament.

"We are two peoples and two nations whose stories are intertwined," he said.

Britain and Italy stand united in defending the democratic values, said the 76-year-old king, who becomes the first British monarch to address both houses of parliament – the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic in Rome.

During his speech, Charles mentioned that both countries have also stood by Ukraine.

"Just as we stand together in defense of our values, so too we stand together in defense of our planet," he added.

On economic ties, the king said business between the two nations is flourishing, recalling that the UK is the fifth-largest investor in Italy.

The historic speech came following his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni earlier on Wednesday, as King Charles is paying a state visit together with Queen Camilla.

On the third day of the royal couple's four-day visit to Italy, they were welcomed with a guard of honor at the Villa Doria Pamphili.

At the end of March, Charles III was briefly hospitalized after experiencing temporary side effects from his cancer treatment, although he canceled some of his engagements, he decided to embark on his visit to Italy.

During the visit, Charles is accompanied by UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.