King and Queen to meet Pope during state visit to Italy

The King and Queen are to pay state visits to Italy and the Vatican, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.

The major spring tour will take place in early April and celebrate "the strong bilateral relationship between Italy and the United Kingdom".

With royal overseas trips always carried out at the request of the Foreign Office, it can be seen as a part of a post-Brexit charm offensive, following trips by King Charles and Camilla to both Germany and France.

They will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican and celebrate the Catholic Church's Pilgrims of Hope jubilee year.

In Italy, the couple will visit Rome and the northeastern city of Ravenna, known for its early Christian mosaic artwork.

At the end of last year it was confirmed that the King would have a busy diary of national and international engagements as he continues to have cancer treatment.

His long-haul visit to Australia and Samoa last year was described as the "perfect tonic" for the monarch, and last week he travelled to Poland for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The couple will attend the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, which is located in the Vatican - the smallest independent state in the world, which is surrounded by Rome and is the residence of the spiritual leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. The King is Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Before the state visits, the King and Queen will join Hollywood star Stanley Tucci for a black tie dinner celebrating Italian cuisine at Highgrove on Friday evening.

The pair have invited the Italian-American Devil Wears Prada actor and well-known foodie and the Italian ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, to Charles's Gloucestershire estate to enjoy a feast of sustainable Slow Food.

The menu has been created by renowned Italian chef Francesco Mazzei and inspired by Tucci, who fronted the TV series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

The Slow Food initiative was launched in 1986 in the small Italian town of Bra when food writer Carlo Petrini took exception to the opening of a McDonald's in Rome's Piazza di Spagna, leading to widespread national protests.

Charles has long been a champion of the Slow Food philosophy.

(c) Sky News 2025: King and Queen to meet Pope during state visit to Italy