King Charles and Queen Camilla will toast their 20th anniversary in a tour of Italy later this year, which will also include an audience with the Pope and a visit to the Sistine Chapel

The King and Queen will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on a royal tour in Italy.

Charles and Camilla’s first major foreign trip of the year will include an audience with the Pope and a visit to the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The four-day trip on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to strengthen post-Brexit relations between the two countries will have an added significance given their “China ” anniversary.

Their special day on April 9 is bittersweet for the King as it was also the date his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, died in 2021. Charles and Camilla wed in 2005 in a civil service before having a church blessing at Windsor Castle.

Charles with Pope Francis in 2017 ( 
Image:
PA)
The late Queen Elizabeth II and Charles’ late father, Prince Philip, did not attend the ceremony but were at the blessing and the reception. The King and Queen both found the timing “a welcome addition” and although they will spend the day working, they will have a private celebration.

The trip also marks a major sign of intent for the King as he commits to a full work schedule this year while still having weekly cancer treatment. Italy is celebrating a Jubilee year, with the Pope labelling the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”.

It began on Christmas Eve and will run until January 6 next year, with millions of pilgrims visiting Rome and Vatican City to seek spiritual renewal. A royal source said: “The King and Queen are delighted to be heading to Italy to celebrate the ties between our two countries, especially in such an important period for their hosts.

“The fact their milestone anniversary will fall during the visit is a welcome addition. Although it will be a working day, they are sure to find some time to have a small, private celebration.”

In Rome, the King and Queen will meet Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic church, and visit the Sistine Chapel, famed for its spectacular frescoes by Michelangelo and being the site where the next pope is chosen. Charles’ first meeting with a pope after his 1996 divorce from the late Princess Diana came in 2009, when he, along with Camilla, met Pope Benedict.

Often heralded for his unique ability to unite peoples of different faiths, Charles is thought to be keen to see Francis, who at 88 has been in ill health and suffering from mobility problems. He previously had an audience with the Pope at the Vatican in 2017.

It will be the first time in more than a decade since a British monarch, as head of the Church of England, has met the head of the Catholic Church. The late Queen Elizabeth II had a personal audience with Pope Francis on a trip to the Italian capital in 2014.

Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward arrived in India yesterday on a three-day visit to celebrate its shared ties with the UK and champion the benefits of non-formal education.