Charles and Camilla visited the Sant’Ambrogio food market in Florence in 2017. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
King Charles and Queen Camilla will host a black tie dinner at Highgrove this Friday, with star Stanley Tucci among the guests.
The Italian-American actor, known for his role in The Devil Wears Prada and his love of food, has been invited along with the Italian ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, to enjoy a feast of sustainable Slow Food at Charles’s Gloucestershire estate.
The menu, created by famed Italian chef Francesco Mazzei and inspired by Tucci, will feature dishes made entirely from British ingredients, blended with Italian culinary traditions and local flavours. Italian mixologist Alessandro Palazzi will prepare drinks using herbs from Charles’s beloved Highgrove Gardens.
The Slow Food initiative, which promotes good, clean and fair food for all, was launched in 1986 in response to the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna. The event will also promote Slow Fashion, with the Royal couple meeting students from the King’s Foundation and viewing garments that demonstrate sustainable fashion and heritage skills.
The Slow Fashion movement is gaining momentum. It urges consumers to invest in fewer but higher-quality items that will last.
In Royal news, Buckingham Palace has officially announced that the King and Queen Consort are set for state visits to Italy and the Vatican during a significant spring tour. Slated for early April, the trip coincides with Charles and Camilla’s 20th wedding anniversary celebrations.
The then Prince of Wales shakes hands with Stanley Tucci at the annual Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
Their itinerary includes an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican, marking the Catholic Church’s Pilgrims of Hope jubilee year.
The Royal couple will also grace Rome and Ravenna, the latter famed for its exquisite early Christian mosaics.
Despite his ongoing battle with cancer, 76-year-old Charles continues to undertake regular international engagements.
This update follows closely on the heels of the King’s rejuvenating long-haul visit to Australia and Samoa, hailed as the “perfect tonic” for His Majesty.
The announcement arrives just a week after Charles’ visit to Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.
The King previously met Stanley Tucci and Holly Willoughby at Buckingham Palace. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
During their upcoming tour, the Royal pair will visit the Holy See, the epicentre of governance for the Roman Catholic Church, nestled within the world’s smallest sovereign entity, the Vatican, encircled by Rome and home to the Catholic spiritual leadership.
Notably, the King holds the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The position traces its origins back to King Henry VIII, who declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England after the Pope excommunicated him. This break from the Catholic Church in the 16th century was motivated by his desire to wed Anne Boleyn.