This is the first meeting since the Pope returned to the Vatican after five weeks in hospital with a life-threatening double pneumonia. Francis had planned to have an audience with Charles, but his official state visit to the Vatican was postponed due to the pope’s health.
The Pope sent a new invitation to private audiences, but it was subject to his health and was not confirmed until Wednesday morning. The afternoon visit lasted about 20 minutes, which included a private gift exchange. Discussions on the monarch’s future visit to the Vatican continue.
The Vatican statement said the pope hopes Charles and Camilla a happy anniversary, while the king and queen’s return hopes that the pope will have a quick recovery. Buckingham Palace said: “They are delighted with their majesty, and the Pope is enough to receive them and have the opportunity to share their best wishes in person.”
The royal couple had previously seen Francis during their April 2017 visit to the Vatican. The then Prince of Wales, King Charles, also met Pope Francis at the classic ceremony of St. John Henry Newman in 2019.
The pope has been recovering in the Vatican since March 23 and made an appearance on St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. He was seated in a wheelchair, wearing a nose tube to replenish oxygen and wanted the crowd to spend a pleasant Sunday from the front of the altar before being welcomed by participants at the Mass, some of whom leaned over and kissed his hands.
Speaking to the parliament earlier Wednesday, Charles stressed in a historic speech to the Italian parliament that the close ties between Italy and Britain require the defense of shared values in the European war.
Charles, the first British monarch and the fourth foreign leader to speak of the joint meeting of the Italian parliament, focused on the long history between Britain and Italy and their shared culture, returning to the ancient Romans.
“Our younger generations can see their smartphones and tablets in the news every day, and that’s never going to be taken for granted,” Charles said.
The British King was on his third day of his visit to Italy and was seen as part of London’s ongoing efforts to strengthen relations with European allies, a global turmoil and instability.
“Our country is standing in Ukraine at a time when she needs shelter and welcomes thousands of Ukrainians in need of shelter,” he said in his speech.
Charles added that Italian and British armed forces “stand side by side” as part of the NATO alliance, noting a shared plan between the two countries and Japan to develop new fighter jets.
“It will generate thousands of jobs in our country and talk about our trust between us,” he said.
During their trip to Italy, King Charles and Queen Camilla also mark their 20th anniversary of their marriage, which will be held in a state dinner at Quirinale Palace by President Sergio Mattarella later Wednesday.
The Queen wore her wedding dress, marking her anniversary, and her designer Anne Valentine modified her wedding dress and provided additional embroidery by Beth Somerville, the foundation craftsman of Kings. The dress was originally worn during civil rituals, when Camilla paired the dress with a hat made of natural straw, covering ivory French lace designed by Philip Treacy.
On her wedding day, Camilla later wore a separate chiffon dress embroidered light blue and gold coat, and blessed wedding greetings at St. George’s Church in Windsor.
Earlier Wednesday, Charles met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Roman Villa Doria Pamphili, and took a walk in the garden of the 17th-century palace.
In a few weeks, he will join Mattarella in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Climate Change Warning Charles also spoke enthusiastically about the threats facing the planet, recalling another speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how his “warning” about the urgency of climate challenges at the time was “created to be frustrating by events.”
He noted that every generation often experiences extreme storms, and there is a problem every year that “numerous precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lives.”
Part of the speech was delivered in Italian, and the king prompted the Italian MPs to applause: “By the way, I hope I don’t destroy Dante’s language so much that I will never be invited to Italy again.”
Charles’ first trip abroad this year after being taken to the hospital for side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment.
