King Charles, Queen Camilla Meet Pope Francis on Wedding Anniversary

On a day marked by personal significance, King Charles III and Queen Camilla met privately with Pope Francis on Wednesday afternoon at the Vatican.

According to Vatican news, the royal audience coincided with their 20th wedding anniversary and the fourth anniversary of the death of the King’s father, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

The meeting was held at Casa Santa Marta, the Pope’s residence within the Vatican, where he has been recovering following a recent hospitalization for bilateral pneumonia. Pope Francis has gradually resumed his official duties after more than two weeks of convalescence.

A statement released by the Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting, noting that the Pontiff extended his warm wishes to the royal couple on their wedding anniversary and acknowledged King Charles’s well-wishes for the Pope’s recovery. In turn, the Pope conveyed his hopes for the King’s continued recovery following his own recent hospital stay due to complications from cancer treatment.

The encounter comes after earlier uncertainty about whether it would take place. Buckingham Palace had initially announced the planned audience in early March, during the Pope’s hospitalization. However, a subsequent update on March 24 indicated that the meeting had been postponed due to the Pope’s ongoing recovery. The Palace at the time expressed the couple’s hopes to visit the Holy See once the Pontiff had fully recuperated.

During their current three-day official visit to Rome, Their Majesties have also met with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In a historic first, King Charles III addressed the Italian Parliament at Montecitorio, becoming the first British monarch to do so.

King Charles, as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, has long expressed a deep interest in interfaith dialogue. In 2019, ahead of the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman, he authored an article in L’Osservatore Romano highlighting Newman’s universal values. The then-Prince of Wales also attended the canonisation ceremony at the Vatican, where he personally greeted Pope Francis.

The latest meeting between the King and the Pope underscores a continuing commitment to strong ties between the United Kingdom and the Holy See, as well as mutual respect between two prominent global spiritual leaders.