Surprise visit took place in Casa Santa Marta.King Charles and Queen Camilla were received by Pope Francis in a brief, private meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday, the third day of their four-day state visit to Italy.Francis, who is recovering from pneumonia after his recent five-week hospital stay, wished the royal couple a happy 20th wedding anniversary. The meeting, which was reportedly only confirmed a few hours earlier, came after a planned state visit by Charles and Camilla to the Vatican was cancelled due to the pope's ill health. A statement from the Holy See press office stated that Pope Francis "reciprocated His Majesty's wishes for a speedy recovery of his health", referring to the king's ongoing treatment for cancer. Che occasione speciale!A special moment for Their Majesties as they privately met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday. The King and Queen were deeply touched by The Pope’s kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their… pic.twitter.com/5WAZu9nN5q — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 10, 2025 In a statement Buckingham Palace said the king and queen were "delighted the Pope was well enough to host them - and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person". Charles, 76, had previously visited the Vatican on five occasions as Prince of Wales and has met three popes, including Pope Francis - in 2017 and 2019. The visit to the pontiff's Casa Santa Marta home took place following the monarch's historic address to both Italian houses of parliament and ahead of a state banquet hosted by Italy's president Sergio Mattarella in Rome. God Save the King rings out in the Italian parliament in Rome ahead of the historic address by King Charles pic.twitter.com/GheE4kdZbi — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) April 9, 2025 In his speech at the Quirinale Palace, the king emphasised the long relationship between the UK and Italy which began with the arrival in Britain of the ancient Romans. "I for one, have never asked that question, made famous by Monty Python, 'What have the Romans ever done for us?'," the king joked. In a humorous reference to their wedding anniversary, the king told the 150 guests at the lavish banquet: "I must say it really is very good of you, Mr President, to lay on this small, romantic, candle-lit dinner for two." Charles then proposed a toast, "here, in the Eternal City, to the friendship between our nations, and the hope that this too may be eternal." The state visit concludes on Thursday when the royals travel north to Ravenna where they will attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the city's liberation from Nazi occupation by the Allies. The programme includes a visit the tomb of Dante Alighieri, a tour of Byzantine mosaics at the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and a museum commemorating the English Romantic poet Lord Byron. The royals will also celebrate Slow Food and the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna and will meet with local farmers whose crops were devastated by recent floods in the region. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were received by Pope Francis in a brief, private meeting at the Vatican on Wednesday, the third day of their four-day state visit to Italy. Francis, who is recovering from pneumonia after his recent five-week hospital stay, wished the royal couple a happy 20th wedding anniversary. The meeting, which was reportedly only confirmed a few hours earlier, came after a planned state visit by Charles and Camilla to the Vatican  due to the pope's ill health. A statement from the Holy See press office stated that Pope Francis "reciprocated His Majesty's wishes for a speedy recovery of his health", referring to the king's ongoing treatment for cancer. Che occasione speciale!

A special moment for Their Majesties as they privately met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday.

The King and Queen were deeply touched by The Pope’s kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their… — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) In a statement Buckingham Palace said the king and queen were "delighted the Pope was well enough to host them - and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person". Charles, 76, had previously visited the Vatican on five occasions as Prince of Wales and has met three popes, including Pope Francis - in 2017 and 2019. The visit to the pontiff's Casa Santa Marta home took place following the to both Italian houses of parliament and ahead of a state banquet hosted by Italy's president Sergio Mattarella in Rome. God Save the King rings out in the Italian parliament in Rome ahead of the historic address by King Charles — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) In his speech at the Quirinale Palace, the king emphasised the long relationship between the UK and Italy which began with the arrival in Britain of the ancient Romans. "I for one, have never asked that question, made famous by Monty Python, 'What have the Romans ever done for us?'," the king joked. In a humorous reference to their wedding anniversary, the king told the 150 guests at the lavish banquet: "I must say it really is very good of you, Mr President, to lay on this small, romantic, candle-lit dinner for two." Charles then proposed a toast, "here, in the Eternal City, to the friendship between our nations, and the hope that this too may be eternal." The state visit concludes on Thursday when the royals travel north to Ravenna where they will attend a ceremony to mark the 80th anniversary of the city's liberation from Nazi occupation by the Allies. The programme includes a visit the tomb of , a tour of Byzantine mosaics at the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and a museum commemorating the . The royals will also celebrate Slow Food and the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna and will meet with local farmers whose crops were  in the region. Photo credit: Alessia Pierdomenico / Shutterstock.com.