The Pope has wished the King and Queen a happy 20th wedding anniversary in a private meeting at the Vatican.
Charles and Camilla, who were both divorcees when they married in 2005, were “delighted” to have the audience with Francis on Wednesday afternoon, Buckingham Palace said.
It is understood that during the 20-minute meeting gifts were exchanged and the King and Queen shared their wishes with the Pope for his speedy recovery.
The King and Queen released a photograph of the meeting on the official Buckingham Palace X channel. Camilla had changed into a black outfit — protocol for an audience with the Pope, who remained seated for the meeting and was presented with a small red gift box by Charles.
A message on the palace social media said: “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 best wishes to him in person.”
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A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla this afternoon had a private meeting with His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican. Their Majesties were delighted the Pope was well enough to host them and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person.”
The original date of the King and Queen’s wedding was delayed by a day in 2005, when Charles was required to fly to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II on behalf of his mother. Charles flew to Rome, where they joined other world leaders, then returned to hold their wedding the following day on April 9.
This year, plans were in place for a double state visit to the Vatican and Italy. However, the visit to the former was called off after the Pope became seriously unwell with pneumonia in both lungs. He spent five weeks in hospital, suffering from at least two incidents when his life was in danger.
Having stripped the scheduled trip from the itinerary, palace officials had remained in “daily contact” with the Vatican in the hope that a private meeting might be possible. That was granted on Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the King addressed the Italian parliament.
The meeting came after Camilla said the success of her relationship with Charles was due to a long-lasting “friendship”.
She told British newspaper reporters in Rome: “Twenty years! Who could believe it was 20 years. What is the secret? I don’t know … well … I suppose it’s just sort of friendship, really. Laughing at the same things, getting on with life. Doing things like this [a school visit in Rome] takes up most of the time.”
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Charles and Camilla spent their 20th wedding anniversary in the Italian capital on the third day of their official state visit. To mark the occasion, Camilla was in the same Anna Valentine outfit she wore to the Windsor Guildhall on their wedding day in 2005. This time, it had been reworked by the designer to include embroidery on the hem by Beth Somerville, an artisan from the King’s Foundation. It is also thought to have been lengthened, with sleeves added.
The Queen said there had not been much downtime to celebrate the marriage milestone beyond “a bit of a catch-up” in the afternoon because they were normally “always going in different directions, like ships that pass in the night”.
The anniversary gifts, she said, would have to wait until after the visit, but she confirmed that she had bought Charles some china — the material used to signify 20 years of marriage. Asked whether the King may concede to slow down a bit as a gift in return, the Queen replied: “Dream on!”
Charles certainly showed no sign of taking a break as he endured a packed schedule, beginning with his first official meeting with Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister. Later, he became the first British monarch to address both houses of parliament in Italy with a 22-minute speech that elicited two standing ovations.
Charles underscored the importance of both countries being “European”. After mentioning the Second World War, he said that “today, sadly, the echoes of those times, which we fervently hoped had been consigned to history, reverberate across our continent”. He added: “Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted.”
Charles earned one of his ovations for referencing his mother’s visit in 1992, when she paid tribute to the anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone days after he was murdered. The King later addressed a black-tie state banquet where guests including Andrea Bocelli, the tenor, and Sir Paul Smith, the English fashion designer, dined on buttoni pasta with aubergine caponata followed by sea bass.
In a lighthearted moment Charles referred to the famous Monty Python sketch about the Romans. Speaking to 150 guests at the Quirinal Palace, the King said: “I, for one, have never asked that question — made famous by Monty Python — ‘what have the Romans ever done for us?’ We see their imprint on what they knew as Britannia every day — from London to Carmarthen, from York to Hadrian’s Wall. Italy has succeeded, where Rome failed, in extending its influence to all corners of the United Kingdom, not least thanks to a beloved diaspora whose charm has proved mightier than the sword.”
Referring to his own historic date, Charles told guests: “Today marks the Queen’s and my 20th wedding anniversary.” He joked to the packed room: “On that score, I must say it really is very good of you … to lay on this small romantic, candle-lit dinner for two!”
Earlier the Kinghad held his first official meeting with Meloni on the outskirts of Rome. Meloni met Charles outside Villa Doria Pamphili, the 17th-century villa that has been described as the Italian equivalent of Chequers. They were seen having a lively conversation as the King had a tour of the gardens and Baroque architecture at the countryside palace with views over Rome and the Vatican.
The pair paused for a photograph at the entrance of Casino del Bel Respiro, an ornate white building within the grounds, before making their way to the manicured gardens behind.
Speaking in English, Italy’s first female prime minister appeared to point out points of architectural interest to the King during his 50-minute visit. The pair spent a few moments in front of a fountain where the prime minister laughed at one of the King’s jokes as he pointed towards the maze.
They then took a seat inside a small, white stone room, looking towards the garden views outside and making small talk as they waited for official photographs to be taken. A private conversation followed.
The royal entourage included David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Lord Llewellyn of Steep, the UK ambassador to Italy. The bilateral meeting was seen as a highlight of the state visit and holds particular significance for the British government.
Llewellyn said: “The UK’s relationship with Italy continues to strengthen as we reset our relationships with our European partners. Italy’s G7 presidency last year saw especially intense co-operation between us and we work closely together, not just in the G7, but in Nato, at the United Nations and across the world.
“This visit will inject further momentum to drive that co-operation across the board but especially on defence, on sustainability, on clean energy and our cultural ties.”
He added: “Their majesties will be accompanied on this visit by the foreign secretary, who will use the opportunity to hold talks on many issues.”
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It comes after reports that Meloni was “not convinced” by the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” when it came to supporting Ukraine. She is also known to be sceptical about environmental targets, which the King passionately supports.
Meanwhile, to mark the King and Queen’s 20th wedding anniversary, Buckingham Palace released a video montage of pictures showing the couple together over the past two decades.
However, their anniversary began with separate engagements. While Charles met Meloni, the Queen visited a school in Rome to hear about literacy projects in the city.
