King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid an unannounced visit to Pope Francis on Wednesday during their state visit to Italy, marking their 20th wedding anniversary with a private audience at the Vatican. The visit, confirmed only hours prior, came as the 88-year-old pontiff continues his recovery from a severe bout of double pneumonia that had hospitalized him for five weeks earlier this year.
The Vatican said in a statement that "during the meeting, the Pope expressed his good wishes to Their Majesties on the occasion of their wedding anniversary and reciprocated His Majesty's wishes a speedy recovery of his health." Buckingham Palace echoed the sentiment, stating that the couple "were delighted the Pope was well enough to host them - and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person."
The meeting, lasting approximately 20 minutes, included a private exchange of gifts. A photo released by the Vatican showed Queen Camilla greeting the Pope while King Charles, smiling, held a small red box. The Pope, seated and no longer using the nasal cannula he wore during earlier public appearances, appeared to be in improved health.
The private audience came after a previously scheduled official visit was postponed last month to allow the Pope more time to recuperate. A royal source told CNN that the Pope extended a personal invitation to the couple, contingent on his health, and it was confirmed the morning of the meeting.
This marked the third meeting between Charles and Pope Francis, but the first since Charles became King. The previous encounters included the couple's visit to the Vatican in 2017 and Charles's appearance at the 2019 canonization of St. John Henry Newman.
Earlier that day, King Charles became the first British monarch to address both houses of Italy's Parliament. In his speech, he called for stronger ties between the U.K. and Italy, emphasizing cooperation in defending shared democratic values and confronting global threats such as climate change and the war in Ukraine. "Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter," he said, while noting that British and Italian forces "stand side by side" as NATO allies.
The King also touched on the urgency of climate action, warning that storms "normally seen once in a generation" now happen every year, and that "countless precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lifetimes." Delivering portions of his remarks in Italian, he prompted applause when he quipped, "I hope I'm not ruining Dante's language so much that I'm no never invited to Italy again."
The royal visit, their first international trip of the year, comes weeks after Charles was briefly hospitalized due to temporary side effects from cancer treatment. The palace described the incident as not out of the ordinary, and Charles resumed engagements shortly after.
Later on Wednesday, the royal couple attended a state dinner hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace. Queen Camilla wore her wedding dress, originally designed by Anna Valentine and modified for the occasion with embroidery by a King's Foundation artisan.
On Thursday, they will travel to Ravenna for a series of literary-themed events, including visits to Dante Alighieri's tomb and the Byron Museum, before concluding their visit at a local food festival.
