King Charles III and Queen Camilla have delayed their scheduled state visit to the Vatican after medical advice suggesting that Pope Francis prolong his time of rest, Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday.
The royal couple had been due to arrive in the Vatican on April 7, with a summit scheduled for the next day. The visit had been billed as a historical event.
But now the trip has been canceled by mutual consent because of the pope’s health issues.
Pope Francis, 88, was rushed into Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on February 14 with a critical respiratory infection that was confirmed later as double pneumonia. The sickness was so disturbing because it involved his case history of pleurisy that made him lose one lung when he was still a young boy. The pope did not return home until Sunday when he emerged having survived the toughest health problem to hit his papacy over 12 years in office.
A palace source earlier suggested Charles and Camilla were pinning their hopes on the recovery of the pope to go ahead with the visit. But because of the weakened condition of the pontiff, the trip is put on indefinite hold.
“They Majesties extend the best wishes to the pope for a successful convalescence and would welcome the opportunity to visit him in the Holy See when he is better,” read the announcement at Buckingham Palace.
Although the Vatican visit has been deferred, the planned state visit by the royal couple to Italy is still on the cards, though changes to the schedule might be required.
King Charles, aged 76, is also juggling his work cautiously as he receives cancer treatment. Both the leaders’ health issues underscore the fine balance between their public roles and personal well-being.
