Royal family RECAP: Princess Kate concludes Italy tour as King Charles hosts final garden party

We've got a busy day of royal news today with the Princess of Wales starting her royal trip to Italy.

Today is also the 30th anniversary of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's divorce.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden marks his 47th birthday.

King’s Speech to take place the State Opening of Parliament.

There are also several investitures at Windsor Castle, including Ellie Goulding.

Gardeners' World star Alan Titchmarsh discussed King Charles' horticultural passion behind closed doors, which helps energise him in his 70s. 

"His energy is mind-blowing. He’s enthusiastic, but also pragmatic. The King gets stuck in – he doesn’t just say something should be done, he instigates it," the star revealed. 

The Prince and Princess of Wales's Instagram account published an update ahead of Kate's Italian trip in support of her early childhood campaign: 

Prince Harry has lost an 'instrumental' member of his charity team, according to the Daily Mail. 

The Duke of Sussex is also currently being sued for defamation by Sentebale, a charity that he co-founded in 2006, after he parted ways with the organisation. 

Read more here. 

See 20 magical photos of real-life Princes and Princesses living the fairytale at Disney theme parks around the world, after the Duke of Sussex visited the theme park with his own kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at Parliament, having completed their short journey from Buckingham Palace in the state coach. 

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The King said the Government will "defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag", as he set out the priorities for Sir Keir Starmer’s administration at the state opening of Parliament.

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He said: "My Lords and members of the House of Commons.

"An increasingly dangerous and volatile world threatens the United Kingdom, with the conflict in the Middle East only the most recent example. Every element of the nation’s energy, defence and economic security will be tested.

"My Government will respond to this world with strength and aim to create a country that is fair for all. My ministers will take decisions that protect the energy, defence and economic security of the United Kingdom for the long-term.

"They will defend the British values of decency, tolerance and respect for difference under our common flag, and they will harness the potential of the pride felt across this country for its communities. My Government will take urgent action to tackle antisemitism and ensure all communities feel safe.

"My Government believes that the United Kingdom’s economic security depends on raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom. My ministers will support measures that maintain stability and control the cost of living.

"They will use public investment to shape markets and attract further private investment. They will deploy the power of an active state in partnership with business and enable reforms that support higher growth and a fair deal for working people."

The Queen Alexandra State Coach has departed Buckingham Palace, transporting the Imperial State Crown to the Palace of Westminster.

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The Princess of Wales has landed in Italy for a two-day visit to learn about the city of Reggio Emilia’s innovative approach to early years education.

The trip is a major milestone for the future queen and is her first extended official foreign tour in nearly three-and-a-half years.

The senior royal is travelling to Reggio Emilia near Bologna, where she will receive a civic welcome.

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After the King's Speech, which is the centrepiece of the State Opening of Parliament, the monarch leaves the House of Lords, and the new parliamentary session begins.

Around two hours after the speech, MPs gather in the Commons to begin debating what King Charles has announced. 

According to the House of Commons schedule, MPs are due to begin debating the address at 2:30 pm. 

The King’s Speech was one of the longest monarch’s speeches at a State Opening of Parliament this century, coming in at 1,285 words. 

It was one of the most legislation-heavy speeches of recent years, containing a total of 37 Bills. 

It took 11 minutes and 40 seconds for the King to read it out loud.

The longest monarch’s speech since the Second World War occurred in November 1999, when the former Queen had to deliver a speech containing 1,751 words.

The King and Queen were pictured leaving Parliament in the same carriage they arrived in. 

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HRH Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah, the Crown Prince of Jordan, has released a new photo of his daughter,  Princess Iman.

Princess Kate was welcomed by the city’s Mayor Marco Massari as she began a rare foreign solo working trip with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

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The visit attracted hundreds of locals to the city’s Piazza Prampolini. A few fans held Union flags, some watched from balconies and others cheered when she stepped from her car wearing a trouser suit and waved to the crowds.

Before going into the town hall, Kate crouched down to talk to nursery-age children gathered near the entrance, and also spent a few minutes chatting to the mayor.

On the town hall steps, Kate again spoke to the mayor and turned to wave to the crowds, who responded with cheers and waved back.

The Princess of Wales arrived in Italy to a crowd of cheering fans, wearing a Laguna blue Edeline Lee suit that featured flared trousers. 

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The former Duchess of York is under the spotlight once again as an explosive biography is set to hit the shelves this weekend. In it, her 'chaotic' demands to personal assistants were uncovered - read more here.

Amal Clooney shared makeup tips with Queen Camilla at the King's Trust Awards last night. 

Camilla, in an electric blue lace evening dress and purple cape, chatted to George Clooney's wife about makeup after hearing that she was wearing Charlotte Tilbury.

That's all from me - the wonderful Isabelle Casey will be taking over to bring you all the latest royal news as the afternoon unfolds, including Kate's Italian visit. 

Good afternoon!

It's Isabelle here, I will be taking you through all the royal updates this afternoon!

Chelsy Davy is a doting mother to her three children, her son Leo, daughter Chloe, and new baby Finn, and has recently revealed she overcame "worries and scares" during her latest pregnancy, despite having given birth twice before.

Talking to Luminary Mothers, the entrepreneur, 40, who dated Prince Harry between 2004 and 2011, revealed that despite her fears, she has felt "much more comfortable" trusting her instincts the third time around. 

"It does feel different having done it twice before. Of course, there are still worries and scares, but this time I've felt much more comfortable trusting my instincts," Chelsy said.

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Adding: 'I remember people telling me when Leo (number one) was born that some sort of 'mother’s intuition' would guide me, but relying on that sort of thing when I had literally no idea what I was doing felt terrifying. 

"This time I feel far more confident, and so I’ve been able to be calmer. You know what's normal and what's not, so you can relax and enjoy it with fewer worries front of mind. I also found that with the first two, I couldn’t wait for all the different stages. 

"I was so excited about every upcoming milestone that, in a way, I found myself wishing it away. With Finn, it’s the opposite. I’m cherishing every moment and hoping it doesn’t go too fast, probably something to do with knowing it's the last time."

HELLO!'s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, is over in Italy covering the Princess of Wales' royal visit.

The Charity Commission has opened a case into Princess Eugenie's former charity,  Anti-Slavery Collective, over concerns relating to its spending. Earlier this year, the watchdog confirmed it was "assessing concerns" about the charity, which the princess co-founded in 2017.

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 On Wednesday, a Charity Commission spokesperson told BBC News: "We have opened a regulatory compliance case into Anti-Slavery Collective to continue assessing concerns raised with us about charitable spending." It is understood that the move does not represent a statutory inquiry, and that the body has not yet made any findings or drawn any conclusions

Upon arriving in Italy, the future Queen made sure to get down on the children's level to chat to them and it was later revealed by our Royal Editor, Emily, that Kate even spoke Italian to the young kids. 

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Around 20 children aged between three and five years old from Reggio Emilia-based Robinson Pre-School greeted the princess in the main square. Alice, 5, said afterwards: “She asked my name in Italian. She spoke Italian very well.”Teacher Roberta Marzi said meeting the princess was ‘emotional’.She added: “She asked them some simple questions but her Italian was perfect she spoke clearly.”

The Duke and Duchess of Westminster stepped out at Westminster Park in Chester on Tuesday to mark the park's 80th anniversary.

The couple, who tied the knot at Westminster Cathedral in 2024, were guests at the afternoon event, which showcased the range of sports clubs and community organisations that use the park.

Talking about the importance of the green space, the 35-year-old 7th Duke of Westminster said on the day: "The park supports physical health, mental wellbeing and connection across generations, often in ways people probably don't even stop to think about."

Hugh looked incredibly smart for the occasion, wearing a stone-hued jacket, pink shirt and navy blue trousers. Meanwhile, his beautiful wife Olivia rocked a fabulous pair of yellow trousers, a grey military-style jacket under which she wore a long-sleeved white blouse. Completing her look, the Duchess added a pair of orange heeled sandals.        

As a non-senior royal, Princess Eugenie leads a relatively private life, choosing to focus on her family life with children August and Ernest as she prepares to welcome her third child with husband Jack Brooksbank. 

The princess, 35, previously made a rare appearance on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, where she made several surprising revelations about royal life. She revealed how the royal family order Deliveroo to Kensington Palace, and her thoughts on waiting to send her sons to boarding school.

In one particularly insightful moment, the mother-of-two confirmed a rather peculiar royal food rule - that the royal family are forbidden from eating certain types of foods.

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"We do one [Waitrose] order every week and everyone piles on everything they can on Sunday night and it comes on Monday morning. Sundays are quite sad looking at my fridge," said Eugenie. 

When asked what was in her Waitrose order, Princess Eugenie revealed: "Nothing interesting really. Chicken, sausages, always. Potatoes, onion, garlic," lifting the lid on her rule-breaking food order. 

The royal shared at the time that she's "not allowed" to have onion and garlic at her parents' Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew's house (prior to their Royal Lodge eviction), confirming that they fear "the breath" and, like many royals, avoid the pungent foods.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opted for an unusual look on Wednesday when she stepped out solo to attend the opening of the State of Fashion Biennial 2026 in Arnhem. She opted for a modern take on a bridal look, styling a single-breasted crisp white blazer with wide-leg trousers in the same icy hue.

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Underneath, the wife of King Willem Alexander slipped on a white camisole top and, unusually for a solo daytime outing, the Queen wore an enormous white hat. The unexpected element of her look was how her blazer was adorned with a splodge of green to look like a splash of paint that was decorated with emerald jewels.

Passing the reins over to Rebecca, who will be giving you all the royal updates from the US this evening!

Good morning, afternoon or evening, wherever in the world you may be.

Our Royal Editor Emily Nash is in Italy with Princess Kate for a two-day visit which focuses on the city’s renowned philosophy around early childhood development, often referred to as the Reggio Emilia approach. Kate has long had an interest in early childhood studies and the European trip shows her dedication to pushing the topic into the spotlight even further and has been described as a "gear change" for the royal. 

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Click here for all the best pictures from day one.

On her second stop in Reggio Emilia, Kate visited the world-renowned Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, where she met educators and practitioners leading work in the “Reggio Emilia approach”, hearing how it supports social and emotional development.

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While walking through the centre’s “light atelier”, a room filled with hanging plastic waves and ornaments on the walls, Kate said of the design: "And also, it’s encouraging children these days to slow down because their world is so fast-paced now – it’s getting them to notice things, in their sensory environment as well."

When shown a table covered with multi-coloured plastic objects for children to play with, she said: "I did this in lockdown with the children, we tried to find as many objects in the house as we could with as many colours in the rainbow as possible."

Among the public who had waited to meet the Princess was Maria Angela Redaelli, who set her alarm for 3.15am to make the 200km trip from her home to Reggio Emilia. 

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She said: "I just love the royal family and I just had to be here. And I am an English teacher so I want to tell my students about her.‘The princess said my hat was very glamorous and I gave her a rose. She is so beautiful."