Meeting privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Pope Francis congratulated the pair for their 20 years together. Despite having canceled their official state visit to the Holy See citing Pope Francis’ ill health and need for recovery, the king and queen nevertheless met privately with the Pontiff Wednesday afternoon.
According to a statement from Buckingham Palace, Francis issued an invitation to the pair which was confirmed Wednesday morning after his assistants were happy with his medical state. No details emerged about the contents of the 20-minute meeting apart from the fact that Francis and King Charles exchanged reciprocal good wishes for each other’s recovery.