Laughter, friendship and simply “getting on with life” is the secret to 20 years of wedded bless, the Queen said as she and the King celebrated the milestone wedding anniversary in Rome. 

Looking happy and relaxed as she chatted candidly about her marriage on a solo engagement in Italy’s city of love, Camilla said that they will properly mark their special day when they get home, due to the demands of their four-day state visit. 

“We are always going in different directions, like ships that pass in the night really,” she said, ignoring her icing covered hands after cutting a cake. "We whizz past each other. In fact we have got a bit of a catch-up this afternoon.” 

The Queen was referring the brief break in the diary following the King’s historic address to a joint session of the Italian Parliament and before the glittering state banquet that evening. 

Asked if gifts will be exchanged, she said they would wait until they were back - but she did admit she had something up her sleeve for tonight.

She said: “No we are going to do that when we get back. We are going to save that.  “Otherwise you can’t really….you have to rush it. You don’t have time to say anything. No, I think we might dig into our pockets and pull something out at the end of the day.”

Pressed about her plans, Her Majesty added: “Well I have got something. Because it’s china [the traditional gift for a 20th anniversary].”

Wednesday marked the penultimate day of the King and Queen’s state visit to Italy and In a second speech at last night’s black-tie dinner, Charles said it was “truly special” to be able to spend this moment here. 

He also joked: “I must say it really is very good of you, Mr. President, to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two...!”

In an interview with UK newspapers, Camilla explained that Italy is a special place for the pair, who often travel to the country for private holidays.

Agreeing that it was a romantic country, she said: “You come to Italy and you feel better. They are so friendly. Everybody is so lovely. You’ve got the food, the weather, there’s something in the air.”

The Queen, who started royal life as the vilified mistress who was blamed for the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage, spoke fondly about their marriage - and revealed the secret to their success.

“Twenty years, who could believe it was 20 years? she said. “What is the secret? I don’t knok, well I suppose it’s just sort of friendship, really. Laughing at the same things, getting on with life. I suppose doing this [gestures to the engagement] takes up most of the time.”

The King and Queen went their separate ways yesterday morning, as Charles held an official meeting with Italy’s first female prime minister Giorgia Meloni in the stunning grounds of Villa Doria Pamphili and Camilla visited an Italian state school. 

They reunited at the Senate of the Italian Parliament before heading to the nearby Italian Parliament where the King made history by becoming the first British monarch to address both houses of Italy's parliament.

In his 25-minute-long address in the Chamber of Deputies he paid tribute to the close ties between the two nations and warned peace is “never to be taken for granted”. 

After mentioning the Second World War, Charles said: "Today, sadly, the echoes of those times, which we fervently hope had been consigned to history, reverberate across our continent.
"Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted."

His speech was punctuated by frequent rounds of applause and laughter from those in attendance as he made light-hearted references to Italy’s culture, music, fashion and food. 

He also spoke passionately about threats facing the planet, saying extreme storms "normally seen once in a generation" are now an issue every year, and "countless precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lifetimes".

Sections of the speech were delivered in Italian and towards the end of his address, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, mistakenly thought the King and finished his speech and announced to the chamber that the proceedings had concluded. 

An awkward silence followed, with the king turning around and gesturing that he wasn't yet finished - prompting an outbreak of laughter.  Resuming his speech, His Majesty quipped: “I am nearly finished”.

Minutes later politicians leapt to their feet and applauded the King before exciting the chamber with the Queen by his side. 

The evening of their anniversary was spent at a state banquet at the Quirniale Palace where Charles and Camilla were joined by leading figures from Italian life at the black-tie dinner.

Guests included Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, hotelier Rocce Forte, fashion designer Paul Smith and Italian chef Giorgio Locatelli.

They both dressed for the occasion, with the King wearing black with his UK Order of Merit neck order and OMRI (Italian Order of Merit) star with a selection of British Orders, Realm and Jubilee medals and the Queen wearing a green lace gown by Fiona Clare.

On Thursday, the couple will travel to the historic city of Ravenna where they wil visit the tomb of Dante.

They will also mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the province by Allied Forces and participate in a regional festival celebrating traditional cuisine.