Sawt Falasteen - Charles and Camilla pose at Colosseum in pomp-filled Italy visit

The four-day trip comes less than a fortnight after Charles, 76, was briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects from his cancer treatment.

The royals, who will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on Wednesday in Rome, were met by applauding crowds at the ancient gladiator battleground.

They shook hands and chatted with flag-waving schoolchildren and snap-happy tourists gathered along the route between the Arch of Constantine and the Temple of Venus and Rome.

Romolo Testa, a 19-year-old Italian who managed to shake their hands, said it was "emotional".

"It was really a great honour, I was moved," he told AFP.

- Emperors, royals -

Military bands from the Welsh Guards -- wearing their distinctive bearskin hats -- and Sardinia's Sassari Brigade entertained the crowds before the royals arrived with classic tunes like Abba's "Dancing Queen", while gardeners did some frantic last-minute cobblestone cleaning.

Charles and Camilla then had their picture taken in front of the Colosseum, which the ancient Romans used for gladiatorial fights, mock sea battles and plays based on Roman mythology.

Coordinated in a blue pinstriped suit for him and a blue silk crepe dress and coat for her, with a diamond-and-sapphire brooch that was once Queen Victoria's, the king and queen were then given a quick history lesson by renowned Italian TV presenter and historian Alberto Angela.

Angela told journalists afterwards that Charles had "wanted to know all the details about the past".

"This place is a place of history. You had Roman emperors... and now you have the king and queen coming here. That makes sense," he said.

Well-wishers included the four-member Wilson family, who live near the royal Windsor Castle in England, and said it was chance their holiday coincided with the visit.

Sarah Wilson, 48, showed off a photo of a smiling Charles snapped by her teenage daughter Beth from behind the barricade.

"Our daughter is quite pushy, so she got in there," she told AFP.

"It's literally the first time we've ever seen him," enthused Wilson. "We come all the way to Rome and see the king who lives 10 miles away!"

Earlier, the king and queen were driven through the streets of the capital accompanied by mounted presidential guards.

The royals were greeted at the 16th-century Quirinale Palace by Italy's ceremonial president, Sergio Mattarella, and treated to a joint flypast by Italy's "Frecce Tricolori" air force aerobatic team and Britain's "Red Arrows".

- When in Rome -

French sightseer Philippe Heitzler, 64, stuck behind a security barrier during the visit, said he and his wife were fans of the British crown.

The monarchy is "a good thing," Heitzler said.

But "we didn't understand why they wanted to leave Europe", he added, referring to Brexit, which saw the UK vote to leave the EU in 2020.

Charles has already made 17 official visits to Italy, though this is his first since becoming monarch following the 2022 death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

He will meet Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and is set to become the first British monarch to address a joint sitting of the Italian parliament.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is accompanying the royals.

The king and queen will celebrate their 20th anniversary Wednesday with a state banquet. They marked the occasion by issuing a photo taken in the gardens of the British ambassador's residence in Rome, where they are staying.

The couple, who will also visit Ravenna during the trip, described Italy as "such a special place -- and with such wonderful people!" in a message on social media.

Charles announced he had cancer in February 2024, without specifying which kind, but began returning to work at the end of April.

While continuing to receive treatment, he gradually ramped up his duties, including an official visit to Australia and Samoa in October.

Officials said his recent hospital stay, a few hours on March 27, was a "minor bump" in his medical treatment, and he resumed engagements on April 1.

D.Khalil--SF-PST