Royal correspondent, News
Getty ImagesKing Charles III and Queen Camilla are going ahead with the state visit to Italy and the Vatican, including plans for a meeting with Pope Francis.
The Pope has been ill – but Buckingham Palace says the trip will continue as planned, from 7-10 April, with engagements in Rome and Ravenna.
The King had privately sent a letter to the Pope, when he was taken ill – but a photo released by the Vatican at the weekend appeared to show the 88-year-old was slowly recovering.
The visit will see a symbolic building of links between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, of which King Charles is the Supreme Governor.
As well as meeting the Pope, the King will attend an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel.
And in what the Palace says is a “historic first”, he will also visit the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls.
Kings dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era helped support and fund this church, where Saint Paul is buried – and the visit by King Charles will be seen as a sign of reconciliation and bringing together these historic threads.
There will also be a personal dimension to the state visit, as the trip to Rome coincides with the King and Queen’s 20th wedding anniversary.
Joint flypast
The visit will support the modern-day relationships between the UK and Italy, reflecting “shared values, history and culture”.
That includes Italian food – and as a warm-up to the visit, the King hosted a dinner at Highgrove, with the menu inspired by American-Italian actor Stanley Tucci.
The King will meet Italy’s president and prime minister and become the first UK monarch to address both houses of the Italian parliament.
The royal visitors will be guests at a state banquet.
And military links will be promoted with a joint flypast over Rome by the Italian air force and the UK’s Red Arrows.
In Ravenna, the royal couple will view the tomb of the Italian writer Dante, and the Queen will tour a museum commemorating the poet Lord Byron.
