King Charles and Queen Camilla are still hoping to see the Pope during their state visit to the Vatican next month, as fresh details of the royal tour are released. Buckingham Palace announced today that Charles and Camilla will visit the Holy See and Italy—incorporating Rome and Ravenna—from April 7 to 10.
The programme is designed to celebrate the UK’s warm bilateral relationship with each country, and highlights include visits to the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Byron Museum. Aides are still planning for the King and Queen to have an audience with Pope Francis despite remaining seriously ill with pneumonia in both lungs. On Sunday, the Vatican released the first image of the pope, 88, since he was admitted to hospital on February 14.
The pontiff is pictured sitting in a wheelchair in front of an altar at a chapel in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, where he has been treated for double pneumonia and other infections.
During his admission, he suffered several respiratory crises, and the Vatican has given no indication of when he might be discharged from hospital.
The King wrote privately to the Pope when he was taken ill and a Palace source shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead”.
However, they added that while the Palace is hopeful that the pontiff’s health is improving, the programme may be adjusted accordingly if his condition changes.
The King and Queen will arrive in Rome on Monday, April 7, for an official welcome before undertaking engagements in the Vatican on Tuesday to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee.
Traditionally held once every 25 years, the Jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church, and this year’s theme is: ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Visit to the Holy See will be an historic visit in the year of the Papal Jubilee, and will mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England with a special service in the Sistine Chapel, joining hands in a celebration of ecumenism, and of the work The King and The Pope have done over many years on climate and Nature.”
Charles and Camilla will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in Rome with a ceremonial welcome at the Palazzo Quirinale. The event will feature a special joint flypast over Rome by the Italian Air Force aerobatic team, ‘Frecce Tricolori,’ and the Red Arrows to symbolise the two countries’ close defence relationship.
Their special day will also include a visit to the city’s iconic Colosseum, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a visit to the Italian Parliament and a black-tie state banquet.
The King will become the first British monarch to address a joint session of the Italian Parliament, where he is expected to deliver a speech in both English and the country’s native language.
The final day of the four-day trip will conclude in Ravenna, northwest Italy, where the couple will view Dante’s tomb, the Byron museum and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia to view the impressive mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries.
It will mark Charles and Camilla’s second overseas tour since the monarch’s cancer diagnosis last February.
The King continues to undergo cancer treatment but is determined to return to a full royal schedule, both domestically and internationally.
A second tour is due to take place in the autumn.
