ROME (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla are in Italy to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary and made a surprise visit to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis.
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It was the first meeting announced since the pope’s return to the Vatican after five weeks in the hospital due to a double pneumonia that threatened his life.
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Francis had originally planned to have an audience with Charles, but this was officially postponed due to the pope’s health.
The Pope has been convalescing at the Vatican since March 23 and appeared before the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
How was the meeting between Francis and Charles?
The meeting took place at Casa Santa Marta and according to the official statement from the Vatican, “during the meeting, the Pope expressed his best wishes to Their Majesties on the occasion of their wedding anniversary and reciprocated His Majesty’s good wishes for a speedy recovery of his health.”
The main figures of the British Royal Family also expressed their wishes for a speedy recovery to the Argentine pope.
Charles III is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
State visit to strengthen ties between the United Kingdom and Italy
Prior to the meeting at the Vatican, the British monarch emphasized the need to strengthen ties between Italy and the United Kingdom in a historic speech in the Italian parliament on Wednesday, calling for unity in defense of common values in a time of war in Europe.
Charles, the first British monarch and the fourth foreign leader to address a joint session of the Italian parliament, emphasized the long history between the United Kingdom and Italy and their shared culture, dating back to the ancient Romans.
“Our younger generations can see on the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace should never be taken for granted,” Charles stated.
The British king was on the third day of his State visit to Italy, seen as part of London’s ongoing effort to strengthen ties with its European allies amid global turmoil and increasing instability.
“Our countries have supported Ukraine in its time of need and have welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians in need of refuge,” he expressed in his speech, warning that images of war are now resonating again throughout the continent.
Charles added that the Italian and British armed forces are “side by side” as part of the NATO alliance, pointing out the joint plans of the two countries to develop a new combat aircraft with Japan.
“It will generate thousands of jobs in our countries and speaks volumes about the trust we place in each other,” he stated.
Charles also passionately spoke in his speech about the threats facing the planet, recalling another speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how the “warnings” he made at that time about the urgency of the climate challenge were “depressingly and regrettably being confirmed by events.”
Sections of the speech were delivered in Italian, with the king eliciting applause from lawmakers when he said: “And certainly, I hope I’m not butchering Dante’s language so much that I’ll never be invited to Italy again.”
Charles and Camilla’s anniversary
During the trip to Italy, King Charles and Queen Camila also celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary, which will have its climax in the evening at a State dinner hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Villa Doria Pamphili in Rome, enjoying a stroll through the gardens of the 17th-century palace.
Charles III was on his first trip abroad this year after being taken to the hospital for side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment.