ROME: Pope Francis met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at the Vatican during the royal couple’s four-day state visit to Italy and on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary, the Vatican announced.
It was the first known meeting since the pope’s return to the Vatican after five weeks in the hospital for life-threatening double pneumonia. Francis had planned to have an audience with Charles, but the official state visit to the Vatican was postponed due to the pope’s health.
The pope issued a new invitation for a private audience, but it was subject to his health and only confirmed Wednesday morning. The mid-afternoon visit lasted about 20 minutes and included a private exchange of gifts. Discussions continue about a future visit by the monarch to the Vatican.
The Vatican statement said the pope wished Charles and Camilla a happy anniversary, and the king and queen in return wished the pope a speedy recovery. Buckingham Palace said “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 royal couple previously saw Francis during an April 2017 visit to the Vatican. King Charles, then Prince of Wales, also met Pope Francis during the 2019 canonization of St. John Henry Newman.
The pope has been convalescing at the Vatican since March 23 and made an appearance to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday. He was pushed in a wheelchair, wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, and wished the crowd a good Sunday from the front of the altar before being greeted by participants in the Mass, some of whom leaned to kiss his hands.
Charles addresses Parliament
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles stressed the need for close ties between Italy and the UK in a historic speech in the Italian parliament, calling for unity in defense of common values at a time of war in Europe.
Charles, the first British monarch and fourth foreign leader to address a joint session of the Italian parliament, highlighted the long history between the UK and Italy and their shared culture, going back to the ancient Romans.
“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 said.
The British king was on the third day of his visit to Italy, seen as part of an ongoing effort by London to strengthen ties with its European allies amid global turbulence and rising instability.
“Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter,” he said in his speech, warning that images of wars were now reverberating again across the continent.
Charles added that Italian and British armed forces “stand side by side” as part of the NATO alliance, noting the two countries’ joint plans to develop with Japan a new fighter jet.
“It will generate thousands of jobs in our countries and speaks volumes about the trust we place in each other,” he said.
During the Italian trip, King Charles and Queen Camilla also marked their 20th wedding anniversary, which was to include a state dinner later Wednesday hosted by President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale palace.
The queen marked her anniversary by wearing her wedding dress, which had been modified by its designer Anne Valentine, with additional embroidery by King’s Foundation artisan Beth Somerville. The garment was originally worn for the civil ceremony, when Camilla paired the outfit with a hat made of natural straw, overlaid with ivory French lace designed by Philip Treacy.
On her wedding day, Camilla later wore a separate chiffon dress embroidered pale blue and gold coat for the wedding blessing at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Earlier on Wednesday, Charles met Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at Rome’s Villa Doria Pamphili, enjoying a walk in the 17th Century palace’s gardens.
In a few weeks, he will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe together with Mattarella.
Climate change warnings
Charles also spoke passionately in his address about threats facing the planet, recalling another speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how the “warnings” he made at the time about the urgency of the climate challenge were “depressingly being borne out by events.”
He noted extreme storms “normally seen once in a generation” are now an issue every year, and “countless precious plant and animal species face extinction in our lifetimes”.
Sections of the speech were delivered in Italian, with the King prompting the applause of Italian lawmakers when he noted: “And by the way, I hope I’m not ruining Dante’s language so much that I’m no never invited to Italy again.”
Charles was on his first trip abroad this year after being taken to hospital over side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment.

KUALA LUMPUR: Economic ministers of the ASEAN regional bloc committed on Thursday “to not impose any retaliatory measures” against the United States over sweeping tariffs and said they were ready to engage in talks.
“ASEAN, being the fifth largest economy in the world, is deeply concerned over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the US, including the tariffs announced on 2 April 2025 and subsequently the most recent suspension on 9 April 2025,” the Association of Southeast Asian ministers said in a statement issued after a video conference meeting.
Despite their concern, the ministers said they were ready “to engage in a frank and constructive dialogue with the US to address trade-related concerns.”
“Open communication and collaboration will be crucial to ensuring a balanced and sustainable relationship. In that spirit, ASEAN commits to not impose any retaliatory measures in response to the US tariffs,” they said.
The special meeting was chaired by Malaysia’s Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz. Malaysia holds the rotating chair of the 10-member regional bloc.
Its members, which count on the United States as their main export market, were among those hit with the toughest levies by US President Donald Trump.
Manufacturing powerhouse Vietnam was hit with a 46 percent tariff on exports to the United States while neighboring Cambodia – a major producer of low-cost clothing for big Western brands – was slapped with a 49 percent duty.
The other ASEAN members hit with hefty tariffs are Laos (48 percent), Myanmar (44 percent), Thailand (36 percent) and Indonesia (32 percent).
Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-largest economy, was hit with a lower tariff of 24 percent.
Brunei also faces a 24 percent tariff, while the Philippines was hit with 17 percent and Singapore 10 percent.