Queen Elizabeth II and President Ciampi

March 16, 2005
Court circular

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

March 15: The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi today commenced a State Visit in London to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester welcomed The President and Signora Ciampi on behalf of The Queen at the Italian Ambassador’s Residence at 4 Grosvenor Square, London W1.
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi, accompanied by The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, drove to Horse Guards and were met by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi, accompanied by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh with The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, drove in a Carriage Procession to Buckingham Palace with a Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry.
Gun Salutes were fired in Green Park by The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company.
Guards of Honour were provided at Horse Guards by Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards and at Buckingham Palace by the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, The Queen’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard and a Detachment of Household Cavalry were on duty.
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi, accompanied by The Duke of York, this afternoon visited the British Museum and were received by The Duke of Gloucester, Royal Patron, and The Duchess of Gloucester, the Chairman of the Trustees (Sir John Boyd) and the Mayor of the London Borough of Camden (Councillor Harriet Garland).
The President and Signora Ciampi later visited No 10 Downing Street, where His Excellency and had talks with the Prime Minister.
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP (Chancellor of the Exchequer) had an audience of The Queen this afternoon.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh gave a State Banquet this evening in honour of The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi at which The Prince of Wales, The Duke of York, The Princess Royal and Rear Admiral Timothy Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were present.
The following had the honour of being invited:
Suite of The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi His Excellency Onorevole Gianfranco Fini (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs) and Signora Fini, His Excellency the Italian Ambassador and Signora Aragona, Ambassador Antonio Puri Purini (Diplomatic Adviser) and Signora Puri Purini, Ambassador Paolo Pucci di Benisichi (Head of Protocol of the Italian Republic), Lieutenant General Giovanni Mocci (Military Adviser), Prefetto Alberto Ruffo (Internal Affairs Adviser), Dr Arrigo Levi (Foreign Affairs Adviser), Dr Francesco Alfonso (Head of The President’s Secretariat), Dr Paolo Peluffo (Head of Press and Information Department), Professor Louis Godart (Cultural Affairs Adviser), Professor Gianfranco Mazzuoli (Health Services Co-ordinator) and Minister Plenipotentiary Giampiero Massolo (Director of the Minister’s Cabinet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Specially attached to The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi The Lady Susan Hussey (Lady in Waiting), the Viscount Brookeborough (Lord in Waiting) and the Viscountess Brookeborough, Sir Ivor Roberts (Her Majesty’s Ambassador at Rome) and Lady Roberts, and Lieutenant Commander Heber Ackland RN (Equerry in Waiting).
Italian Embassy Professor Giuliano Urbani (Secretary of State for Culture) and Dr Francesco Proietti (Private Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs).
Diplomatic Corps His Excellency the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait and Mrs Al-Duwaisan, Her Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino and Count Meneghetti de Camillo, His Excellency the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania and Mrs Robo, His Excellency the Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Mr Jean-Louis Wolzfeld), His Excellency the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation and Mrs Lautenberg, His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See (Archbishop Faustino Sainz Muñoz) and His Excellency the High Commissioner for the Republic of Malta and Mrs Refalo.
The Cabinet The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor and the Lady Falconer of Thoroton, the Prime Minister and Mrs Blair, the Leader of the House of Lords (the Baroness Amos), the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP) and Ms Alice Perkins, and the Secretary of State for Defence and Mrs Hoon.
Special Invitations The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs Williams, the Rt Hon the Speaker, the Marquess of Lothian MP and the Marchioness of Lothian, Maria Carmela, Viscountess Hambleden, His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Lord and Lady Strathclyde, the Lord Chief Justice and the Lady Woolf, the Lord and Lady Imbert, the Lord and Lady Levene of Portsoken, the Lord and Lady Patten of Barnes, the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP and Mrs Kennedy, the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, the Hon Mrs Justice Dobbs, General Sir Michael and Lady Walker, Sir Andrew and Lady Turnbull, Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, Sir Michael and Lady Jay, Sir Stephen and Lady Brown, Senatore Franco Zeffirelli, Sir Anthony and Lady Caro, Sir Richard and Lady Branson, Sir Ian and Lady Blair, Mr and Mrs Kim Darroch, Mr and Mrs Denis Mack Smith, Signora Wanda Ferragamo, Professor and Mrs Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Ms Alexandra Shulman, Mr and Mrs Lanfranco Dettori, Mr and Mrs Marcus Agius, Mr and Mrs Alessio Altichieri, Mr and Mrs Giovanni Bazoli, Mr and Mrs Roy Brown, Dottore and Signora Antonio Caprarica, Commendatore and Mrs Antonio Carluccio, Mr Roger Casale MP and Ms Fernanda Miucci, Dottore and and Mrs Alvaro Donadelli, Mr Colin Firth and Ms Livia Giuggioli, Miss Carla Fracci and Mr Beppe Menegatti, Signor Enrico Franceschini, Dr and Mrs Christopher Gibson- Smith, Mr Mick Hucknall, Mr Jean Lemierre, Mr and Mrs Jon Lewis, Cavaliere del Lavoro Vittorio Merloni and Signora Merloni, Mr and Mrs Marcello Minale, Dottor Marco Niada, Miss Diana Parker and Dr John Landers, Dottore and Signora Alessandro Roselli, Professor Carlo Rubbia, and Professor Salvatore Settis.

March 17, 2005
Court circular

BUCKINGHAM PALACE
March 16: The President of the Italian Republic this morning drove to Westminster Abbey and laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
The President afterwards visited the Palace of Westminster and was received by the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor and the Rt Hon the Speaker.
His Excellency addressed those assembled in the Royal Robing Room and subsequently attended a Reception with Members of both Houses of Parliament and other guests.
Signora Ciampi this morning visited Tate Modern and viewed the Burri, Fontana and Manzoni Exhibition.
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi were entertained to Lunch at Guildhall by the Rt Hon the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London this afternoon, when His Excellency presented two statues to the Corporation of London.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were present.
The President and Signora Ciampi later attended a Reception for the Italian community, at The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London SW1.

March 18, 2005
Court circular


BUCKINGHAM PALACE
March 17: The President of the Italian Republic this morning received the Rt Hon Michael Howard MP (Leader of the Opposition) at Buckingham Palace.
His Excellency received the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP (Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party).
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi, with the Italian Suite in attendance, subsequently left Buckingham Palace.
The President and Signora Ciampi afterwards visited the “Luxury in Living” Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London W1, and were received by the Director (Sir Nicholas Grimshaw).
The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi this afternoon visited Oxford and were received at the Clarendon Building, Broad Street, by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire (Mr Hugo Brunner) and the Chancellor of the University of Oxford (the Lord Patten of Barnes).
The President, watched by Signora Ciampi, was subsequently admitted by diploma as a Doctor of Civil Law at a Congregation of the University in the Sheldonian Theatre.
This evening The President of the Italian Republic and Signora Ciampi were entertained to Dinner by the Chancellor of the University in Christ Church.