State Visit from the President of Italy: March 15-17, 2005

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Tonight Her Majesty and Prince Philip will attend a Party at the Italian Embassy hosted by Italian President.

[sara1981]

no Earl and Countess of Wessex to attend banquet? Princess Anne,Prince Andrew and Prince Charles?

Sara Boyce

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Will there be the Banquet at Guildhall?

[Elspeth]

I don't think so; the return banquet is being given at the Italian Ambassador's residence.

[GrandDuchess]

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh guided the President of Italy and Mrs Ciampi with their entourages through some pieces from the Royal Collections exhibited at Buckingham Palace.

From Getty:

[GrandDuchess]

SPEECH GIVEN BY THE QUEEN AT THE ITALIAN STATE BANQUET

I am delighted to welcome you and Signora Ciampi to London today. Prince Philip and I recall with great pleasure the warmth of your hospitality and that of the Italian people during our three State Visits to Italy, the last in October 2000.

Our two nations bear the stamp of more than two thousand years of shared history. The greatest British writers, from Chaucer and Milton to Keats, Byron and Shelley, have drawn inspiration from the Italian literature and culture which has done so much to shape our civilisation. Millions of British schoolchildren first encounter your country through the settings and stories of Shakespeare's plays. Robert Browning memorably wrote that if you opened his heart, you would find 'Italy' "graved inside of it".

We in Britain today are enthusiastic admirers of Italian culture, Italian fashion and Italian food. Our opera houses have been blessed with productions by Franco Zeffirelli; our football grounds with the talents of so many gifted Italian footballers.

Looking towards your own country, we take pride in the role British citizens have played in international efforts to save Venice; and in the generations of British archaeologists who have helped to unlock the secrets of ancient Rome. Contemporary British architecture, music and design is I believe more popular in Italy than ever before. The British Council this year celebrates sixty years of continuous presence in Italy, with a programme of events including a major art exhibition and visits to Italy by some of our best writers, musicians and scientists.

As two of the world's leading economies, the United Kingdom and Italy are working together to enhance global prosperity and to ensure that its benefits are shared.

Here too we have a long common history. Lombard Street, in the City of London, testifies to the fact that it was Italian bankers in the Middle Ages who brought modern finance to this island.

Today, British companies working in Italy manufacture everything from clothes to pharmaceuticals to ice cream, while Italian companies here produce everything from helicopters to kitchen appliances. Our investment and trade creates and sustains thousands of jobs in both our countries.

We are close partners and leading nations in the European Union. The modern European Union was born in Italy, first at the Messina conference, then at the first Treaty of Rome in 1957. The EU Constitutional Treaty, signed in Rome last year, is a sign of our shared commitment to Europe's future.

We are close allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the United Nations and the G8. And it is a characteristic of our alliance, and of our friendship, that we stand together in troubled times.

Giuseppe Mazzini, one of the architects of modern Italy, whose 200th anniversary we celebrate this year, found safety in London from persecution. I can never forget the many young British soldiers who died in the Second World War fighting to liberate Italy from tyranny, a fight in which you, Mr. President, played a distinguished part.

Today, British and Italian armed forces are working side by side in a shared commitment to bring peace and stability to the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq. We salute those of your countrymen who have given their lives in these conflicts and we particularly share your sadness at your recent loss.

Mr. President, our countries' histories, and our futures, are intimately linked. Ours is an old friendship - but it has lost none of the admiration and indeed the passion which have marked it down the centuries. Your State Visit today symbolises a relationship between the United Kingdom and Italy which has never been stronger. We can look back together with pride; and we look forward together with optimism for the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you all to raise your glasses to:

The President and Signora Ciampi, and the People of the Italian Republic.

[ElisaR]

The Queen is very elegant. :)

More pictures from Getty Images.

[HMQueenElizabethII]

She really elegant.Thanks everybody lots for pics.

[HMQueenElizabethII]

So only Princess Anne,her husband,Duke of Kent,Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.How about the others:Wessex,Charles and Camilla,Andrew,Gloucesters?Any pics of them?

[james]

Prince and Princess Michael at the Italian return banquet.

[james]

The Queen and Prince Philip at the Italian return Banquet.

[james]

http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/52...1B2AC3A62513D3

Prince Charles at the Italian return Banquet.

[rere]

I don't know actor Hugh Grant would be there.
1. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles
2. Prince Charles and Prince Phillip
3. Elizabeth arrives
4. Elizabeth and her necklace
5. Elizabeth and Hugh Grant
6. Lord Attenbourough and his wife with the royals

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Thanks lots for photos everybody.They are so great.

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Camilla was not invited?

[HMQueenElizabethII]

AAP Image said that The royal confirmed that Mrs Camilla was not there while Prince Charles was there because she is too busy for her wedding arrangements so she can not attend.

[HMQueenElizabethII]

And today The Queen and Prince Philip will bid farawell to The President and his wife before they live Buckingham Palace for Oxford.

[sara1981]

no Earl and Countess of Wessex join with HM Queen to attend banquet?

Sara Boyce

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Yes,i do not see any pics of them at the State Banquet,i only saw Princess Anne,her husband,the Duke of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of kent.

[Reina]

Camilla absent from state events
The Prince of Wales will attend a second state-visit occasion without his fiancée Camilla Parker Bowles, her spokeswoman has confirmed. Charles will attend a banquet, hosted in London by the Italian president, Carlo Ciampi, without his bride-to-be.

The event comes a day after his solo appearance at a Buckingham Palace dinner in honour of Mr Ciampi.

His fiancee's absence will boost speculation her presence at official events has not yet been fully accepted.

She was busy with other engagements as well as plans for her 8 April wedding, her spokeswoman said.

Tuesday night's banquet was an opportunity for Mrs Parker Bowles to be seen publicly with the Queen and Royal Family members for the first time since her engagement in February.

Contrast with Diana

A Royal spokeswoman said the presence of Mrs Parker Bowles was considered but that she was unable to attend.

In contrast, Lady Diana Spencer was Prince Charles' guest at a Palace state banquet the month before their wedding in July 1981.

Prince Charles' wedding to Mrs Parker Bowles has proved controversial so far, with much media coverage of legal objections to the marriage, as well as the Queen's decision not to attend the Windsor Guildhall civil ceremony.

It now seems likely that the Queen will not be seen in public with her future daughter-in-law before the wedding.




Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4352925.stm

Published: 2005/03/16 15:55:02 GMT

© BBC MMV