King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit Italy and the Vatican in early April, where they will meet Pope Francis on the occasion of this year's Catholic Holy Year, Buckingham Palace announced, quoted by “Reuters“, BTA reports.
During the visit, the monarch and queen will take part in events in Rome and Ravenna, paying tribute to the strong bilateral relationship between the UK and Italy.
This will be Charles' 17th official visit to Italy and his first international visit in 2025.
The trip is expected to include a visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and coincide with the 20th wedding anniversary of Charles and Camilla, who married on April 9, 2005.
In a curious historical detail, just a day after their wedding, the funeral of Pope John Paul II took place, which Charles attended as heir to the throne.
As head of the Church of England, which broke away from Rome in 1534, the king has already met Pope Francis during previous visits to Italy in 2017 and 2019. He has also met with his predecessors - John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
The last visit by a British monarch to the Vatican was in 2000, when Queen Elizabeth II met with Pope John Paul II.