UPDATE 2/25/07, 05:35 a.m. ET: Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will undertake a state visit to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy. According to a press release provided to Us Weekly, the palace announced that the royal couple is set to visit Rome and Ravenna. Additionally, they plan to meet with Pope Francis as part of the celebrations for the 2025 Jubilee Year. More information regarding the visit, including specific dates, will be announced closer to the time.
Original story:
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will spend their upcoming 20th wedding anniversary in Italy.
The Sun disclosed on Monday, February 3, that Charles, aged 76, and Camilla, aged 77, will embark on their inaugural state visit of the year to Rome. The trip is reportedly planned for April 9th, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of their marriage. Sources suggest that their visit to the Eternal City will entail various official engagements and a potential audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Alongside their official duties, the couple is anticipated to set aside some personal moments to mark this significant milestone in their relationship. Furthermore, Charles is expected to continue receiving treatment for a form of cancer that was diagnosed in February 2024 but has not been publicly disclosed.
Full details of the trip have yet to be announced.
Charles and Camilla’s upcoming trip comes four months after the pair traveled to Australia and Samoa in October 2024. Despite being medically cleared to travel overseas while undergoing cancer treatment, Charles ultimately had to postpone the New Zealand leg of the trip due to doctor’s orders.
“I’m extremely sorry I can’t come to New Zealand in late October because of doctor’s orders,” he said while meeting the New Zealand Black Ferns rugby team in England in September 2024. “I hope there’ll be another excuse [to come] before [it’s] not too long.”
While Charles wasn’t able to visit New Zealand, his tour to Australia and Samoa was a success. While abroad, Charles’ itinerary included limited engagements that were mindful to his health. Upon his and Camilla’s return to the U.K., Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch will continue to go on regular trips out of the country amid his ongoing cancer battle.
“We’re now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour program for next year, which is a high point for us, knowing that we can think in those terms,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Hello! in October 2024.
The spokesperson shared that Charles “genuinely loved” going on tour with Camilla to Australia and Samoa, as the journey lifted “his spirits [and] his mood” and aided “his recovery.” Despite “the demands” of the tour, the spokesperson said it was “the perfect tonic” for Charles.
“I think it’s a great testament to the King’s devotion to service and duty that he was prepared to come this far,” the spokesperson added. “He was incredibly happy and very, very determined to do so.”
As the year came to an end, Charles reflected on his health struggles during his Christmas Day speech.
“From a personal point of view, I offer special, heartfelt thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who, this year, have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of illness, and have helped provide the strength, care and comfort we have needed,” he said in December 2024. “I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement.”
