King Charles is about to complete a royal hat-trick with unprecedented speech in Italy

Royal sources described the unpleasant reaction to his ongoing cancer treatment as a "bump in the road", and since then, we have been receiving more than the usual amount of information about his diary.

I suspect this is deliberate: reinforcing the message that King Charles refuses to slow down, despite The Queen previously urging him to do so.

In contrast, the Holy See asked Buckingham Palace to delay Their Majesties' planned visit to Vatican City to meet with Pope Francis, who continues to recover from pneumonia after spending more than a month in hospital.

Today, Their Majesties land in Rome at the start of their four day State Visit "designed to celebrate the UK's warm bilateral relationship" with engagements spread out to fill the gaps, where Holy See engagements were planned.

The visit comes less than a week after President Donald Trump imposed eye-watering tariffs on the UK and the EU, although the UK got off lightly by comparison.

As with all State Visits, the monarch is being sent by the UK Government to wield his soft power to Great Britain's advantage.

The King is scheduled to have audiences with President Mattarella and Prime Minister Meloni, which opens the doors to potentially more significant political discussions.

This comes at a time when the UK and EU appear to be responding differently to President Trump's tariffs.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed the UK would respond with "cool and calm heads" on Thursday, whereas the European Union (which Italy is a member of) is expected to have a far more retaliatory response.

Meanwhile, Italy and the UK are continuing to work together to combat illegal migration.

LATEST ROYAL NEWS:

• Kate’s brother makes heartwarming admission as he opens up on 'challenge'
• William and Harry's former bodyguard, who was with the royals after Diana's death, dies aged 77
• King Charles 'deeply regrets his bad behaviour' as monarch set to celebrate milestone with Camilla

This is exactly why the UK Government sees King Charles as a hugely important asset; His Majesty is well versed in his ability to find common ground in soft diplomatic talks, without straying too far into politics.

Since the UK formally left the European Union in January 2020, there has been a steady stream of royal deployments to EU countries.

The King has taken part in State Visits to France, Germany and, now, Italy.

The Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, has undertaken working visits to Ireland, Poland, France and Estonia - plus a couple of trips to Germany for rugby matches.

This is an indication the Royal Family has proved useful by improving the damaged relationship between the UK and EU.

Britain is arguably on far better terms with the European Union now than it was five years ago.

On that theme, His Majesty will become the first British Monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament, a hat-trick of inaugural speeches to European lawmakers - he previously addressed the French and German parliaments.

Not only does the move indicate the personal respect European politicians have for King Charles, it shows the world that Britain is united with its European friends - as an aggressive neighbour continues to flex its muscles.

Russia's offensive against Ukraine rages on, and Baltic nations are increasingly worried they are next to face President Putin's wrath.

Joint military strength is expected to be a significant theme during Their Majesties' visit.

Buckingham Palace said: "As Nato Allies, the UK and Italy share common defence interests, collaborating on initiatives such as the Global Combat Air Programme.

This relationship will be marked during the visit by a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, ‘Frecce Tricolori’ and by the Royal Air Force acrobatic team, the Red Arrows."

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's Article 5 states 'an attack on one is an attack on all' and it appears the State Visit is being used to remind hostile nations that Britain and Italy's armed forces regularly work together, and will not hesitate to defend each other.

Their Majesties are also expected to mark the 80th anniversary of British and Canadian troops liberating Province of Ravenna from Nazi occupation, emphasising our shared history.

In a poignant moment, King Charles and Queen Camilla will be marking their 20th wedding anniversary in Rome on Wednesday 9th April.

That evening, they will be guests of honour at a state banquet held in Rome.