King Charles and Queen Camilla’s historic wedding anniversary portraits were taken in a place already packed with royal history.
The portraits were taken at Villa Wolkonsky, the current official residence of the British Ambassador to Italy. The gorgeous building has its own royal connections.Â
Princess Zinaida Aleksandrovna Volkonskaya, a Russian princess, moved into the villa in the early 1830s. Born a minor Russian princess, she married Prince Nikita Volkonsky in 1810.
When her brother-in-law- Sergey Volkonsky- led a revolt against Tsar Nicholas I in 1825, the family was exiled initially to Siberia and then moved to the Continent.Â
Zinaida was a well-connected figure in Roman society. She hosted literary salons, was an author herself, and even frequently performed in London and Paris as an opera singer.
The home has had several owners; the British government purchased it to be used for the ambassador in 1951.
It was the base for The King and Queen throughout their very successful State Visit to Italy. As part of the official trip, they hosted a glamourous reception in the gardens for the British-Italian community in Rome.
And they, of course, left their own royal mark on the building by choosing it for their wedding anniversary portraits. Photographer Chris Jackson snapped The King and Queen at the historic villa and The Royal Family shared the images on social media.
They show the King and Queen looking happy and relaxed at the start of their State Visit to Italy and at a time of great personal celebration for them.
