King Charles set to achieve historic milestone with upcoming royal tour

King Charles is set to accomplish a big milestone during his first international tour of 2025 as Palace makes preparations.

The monarch, who is continuing his cancer treatment after he was diagnosed in February last year, will be travelling to Italy alongside his wife, Queen Camilla.

During the visit, the royal couple will be visiting The Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City.

The King is understood to hold a private audience with the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis. Charles had previously met the pope on two separate occasions.

Prince William and Prince Harry’s father met the pope in 2017 during his visit to Rome alongside Camilla, where Charles was created a saint. In 2019, the then-Prince of Wales undertook a visit to the Vatican as he attended the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman, the first English saint to be created in decades.

In a historic meeting, he will become the first monarch in a decade to meet the Catholic leader and it will be the first time he is meeting the Pope as King.

According to a royal source cited by The Mirror, both of them have the intention to have “both a public and private audience with one another” and there is “huge respect for one another.”

The insider noted that it is an “important year” for Italy and for King Charles which is why the visit will be “all the more momentous.”