One of the highlights of King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to Italy was to meet Pope Francis, however, the visit was postponed following the pontiff's bout of ill health.
However, it has now been confirmed that the royal couple held a private audience with the Pope in the Vatican on Wednesday afternoon. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "Their Majesties were delighted the Pope was well enough to host them for a private meeting and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person."
© GettyHELLO! understands that the meeting was only confirmed on Wednesday morning due to the Pope's health and that the Holy Father extended the offer of a private audience to the postponement of their scheduled meeting.
© Getty ImagesIt's also understood that the meeting lasted for 20 minutes and took place following the visit to the Italian Parliament and that gifts were exchanged, while the Pope took the opportunity to wish the pair a happy anniversary.
Initial postponement
It was announced on 25 March that the King and Queen had postponed their visit to Pope Francis owing to his recent ill health.
In a statement, the palace said: "Their Majesties send The Pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered."
The private visit came on the third day of the state visit, with Wednesday's events seeing Charles giving a speech at Italy's parliament, while Camilla visited a school where the students were learning about Paddington Bear.
Pope's health
Pope Francis, 88, was admitted to hospital on 14 February with an infection that resulted in double pneumonia. One of his doctors said that during his time in hospital, he suffered from two critical episodes that left his "life in danger".
He was released from hospital on 23 March and has made very few public appearances since. Doctors have said that the pontiff requires two months of rest. When he was 21, the Pope had part of his lungs removed, which makes infections more likely.
© Getty ImagesThe 88-year-old still requires supplemental oxygen and earlier this week, he made a public appearance in a wheelchair with an oxygen tube under his nose. While Francis needs less oxygen during the day, when he sleeps, he receives a high-flow of oxygen through his nose.
The King privately wrote to the pontiff after he was taken ill and the pair last met in 2019, when Charles was the Prince of Wales, for the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman.
Charles and Camilla's Italy visit
Charles and Camilla have been in Italy for a four-day state visit since Monday. On Wednesday, the King delivered a speech at Italy's parliament where he focused on the close ties between Britain and Italy and highlighted the need for peace.
"Today, sadly, the echoes of those times, which we fervently hope had been consigned to history, reverberate across our continent. Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted."
© Getty ImagesIn a more light-hearted moment of his speech, the monarch joked: "I can only hope you will forgive us for occasionally corrupting your wonderful cuisine. We do so with the greatest possible affection."
Elsewhere, during the visit, the royal couple visited the Colosseum and held a reception for members of the British-Italian communities. During the reception, Charles and Camilla met people from business, industry, recipients of honours, realm ambassadors, U.N. diplomats and representatives from the arts and culture, military and defence, and education and youth sectors.
© Alamy Stock PhotoThey mingled with guests in the garden of Villa Wolkonsky, the ambassador's residence, which the government bought in 1951.
